Sailor See, Sailor Die
by Una Moonstar
Summary: Forced to spend the weekend in a spooky mansion to receive an inheritance from a mysterious benefactor, Darien and the girls find themselves solving a life or death mystery. Just who is eliminating all of John Cunningham's heirs?
1. Chapter 1

Sailor See, Sailor Die  
A Fic Challenge Response by Una Moonstar

Original ANs: I got the inspiration for this lovely little story from an episode of The Monkees entitled Monkee See, Monkee Die (thus my title). And of course from the challenge ingredients: an empty swimming pool, 600 tennis balls, a sheep, one jar of honey, and, of course, Tuxedo Kamen. (I hope no one minds too much; I plan on using dub names for this – it's what I know best – so it'll have to be Tuxedo Mask)

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Sailor Moon, and I don't own The Monkees. So there. Thbbbt!

New ANs: This is an old, fun favorite I thought you all might enjoy. Yes, I understand some of the improbabilities that happen later on are... improbable, but you can blame that on my inspiration. Anyway, have fun with this one!

_(fade out...)_

_(begin chapter...)_

The Thursday afternoon sun shined brightly on the golden head of one Serena Tsukino as she traipsed her way to the Cherry Hill Temple where she would be meeting the rest of her best friends. The ponytails that streamed out behind her from the two buns atop her head fluttered in the breeze. Her cheeks were flushed, not only from the rush to the temple after her detention, but from the confrontation she had just had with one Darien Shields, her favorite tormentor.

"That conceited jerk!" she muttered angrily to herself as she sped along. "That incredibly handsome conceited jerk!"

Serena stopped in her tracks and sighed. As much as the high school student annoyed her, she couldn't deny that she had somewhere along the line fallen for him. To herself, that is. As far as anyone else was concerned, she hated the guy. And that went double for Darien. "I may love him, but I don't have to like it!" With that, she continued along her merry way.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

About five minutes later, Serena rushed into the room of the temple the girls usually used for their meetings. She flopped onto the couch next to a petite girl with short blue hair who had her nose in an advanced physics textbook. "Hey, Amy!" The blonde scrunched her nose when she saw what had her friend's attention. "Don't you get enough of that at school?"

Amy raised her head and let her dark blue eyes meet her friend's sapphire blue ones. "Not really, no. This subject is fascinating. You should try it some time."

"Uh, no thanks. What have I missed?" Serena asked, turning her attention to the others assembled in the room.

"Nothing," the long black-haired girl in priestess robes fumed. "We decided to actually wait for you, though I don't know why. It's not like you actually contribute anything to these meetings anyway," she finished through gritted teeth.

"Raye, that's not fair! I try! Why are you so mean?" Serena wailed.

"Because you keep slacking off! If you would take your duties seriously…"

"Knock it off, you two!" a tall brunette with her hair tied back in a ponytail standing behind the couch interrupted.

"Lita's right. Now that Serena's here we should just get started," another blonde seated in a chair to the sofa's left, hair and blue eyes paler than Serena's, said as she flipped her long locks over her shoulder, nearly knocking the red bow that held back part of the length askew.

"Like you should talk, Mina," the white cat in her lap muttered under his breath, the golden crescent moon on his forehead glittering slightly in the sun's rays filtering in through the half shaded windows. "You got here just before Serena." Mina ignored him.

"Well, I checked in with Central Control last night to see if they had any new information for us, and they said…" the black cat with a matching crescent moon began from her position on the floor with her back to the windows.

A light knock at the door caught everyone's attention. "Luna, shush. That's probably my grandpa," Raye whispered. "What is it?" she asked, raising her voice.

"Raye?" an older man's voice asked as the door opened slightly to reveal a short balding man with gray hair above his ears wearing priest's robes. "There's someone here to see you." He paused briefly, looking at the other girls. "Actually he's here to see all of you. I think it's a lawyer of some sort. Should I send him in?"

Raye sighed in annoyance. "Fine. We might as well get it over with. Send him in." Her grandfather left with a nod.

"I wonder what he wants," Serena said softly.

"I wonder how he knew to find all of us here," Mina said suspiciously.

Any further thoughts were put on hold as a short diminutive man with brown hair stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He wore a dark gray suit and carried a black briefcase, which he opened as he gazed from girl to girl. "My name is Hewett Doyle, attorney to the late Mr. John Cunningham. I have been instructed to give each of you an invitation to his estate for the weekend, where my former employer's will is to be read. As you are each mentioned as heirs, I highly encourage you to attend." He pulled out five white envelopes with writing on them and closed the briefcase. "These letters will explain everything to your parents, where applicable. If you are to attend, be at Dock 72 by the warehouse district by four o'clock tomorrow afternoon." He handed out the envelopes, unhesitatingly giving each to the correct girl as proclaimed by the name on the outside. Before any of them had a chance to speak, the man continued. "I will most likely see you tomorrow; my duty here is done. Ladies." He bowed and walked out of the room, leaving behind five flabbergasted girls and two astonished cats.

"Who's John Cunningham?" the white cat asked after a short period of silence.

"I don't know, Artemis. What about you guys?" Mina asked as she stared at the envelope in her hand.

"The name doesn't ring a bell for me," Lita responded as she opened her letter.

"Oooo, what does it say?" Serena asked excitedly.

"You doofus!" Raye yelled. "You have one of your own! Look for yourself!"

"Oh, yeah," the blonde girl said sheepishly, and began opening her own letter.

"Would someone mind sharing with those of us unprivileged enough not to have received their own personal explanation?" Luna asked irritably.

"It seems this John Cunningham owns an estate on an island off the coast of Japan just outside of Tokyo Bay, and we've been invited to stay there for the weekend for the reading of the will," Amy explained after she finished reading her message. "If we want to receive our inheritance, we have to attend."

"Does it say what you'll be getting?" Artemis asked.

"No, it just says that everything will be revealed at the reading," Serena said, slightly confused. "I still don't know who this guy was."

"I don't think any of us do, Serena, and it looks like the only way to find out is to go," Lita responded.

"Well, I don't have anything better to do this weekend, and this has peaked my curiosity. I say we go," Raye said with an evil grin.

Mina giggled. "I'm with that."

"But what if it's a Negaverse trap?" Luna asked, desperate to head this line of thinking off.

"Then the best way to protect the innocent people who will be there is to go ourselves. I'm in," Serena answered, an eager smile lighting her features.

"And you never know, this guy could have been loaded, and is leaving it all to us. I think we could all find ways to use the money." Lita wore a smile at least as evil as Raye's.

"Amy?" Luna asked desperately, knowing the intelligent girl was her last hope at letting logic rule the day.

"I'm curious to find out why this gentleman found it necessary to include all of us in his will, when we obviously don't know him. I'd also like to know how his lawyer knew he could find all of us here at the temple instead of at each of our homes. And the only way to get those answers is to attend the will reading. I'm sorry, Luna."

The black cat sighed and dropped her head. "Don't be. Just be careful, girls, and keep your eyes open for any signs of the Negaverse. I guess that's all I can ask of you."

Serena smiled and knelt before her cat, petting her behind the ears. "We'll be careful, Luna. I promise. But you have to admit, this is kind of exciting!"

Luna laughed lightly as she raised her head and looked her charge in the eyes. "I suppose it is, Serena. And I also suppose I'm just as curious to find out what and why you girls are inheriting something from a complete stranger. Artemis and I will stay at Central Control most of the time in case you need us. Just use your communicators."

"Got it," the meatball headed blonde complied with a grin.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

The next day shined as brightly as the one before. The five girls stood on the dock of the small island watching the ferry they had just stepped off of disappear on its way back to Tokyo before turning around to take in the view of the huge mansion that was the only major structure on the island. It was obviously old, with cylindrical spires and gray slate shingles. Gargoyles leered down at them from each corner of the main building. Cast iron trellises ran along the edges of the roofs, and jutting into the clear blue sky from atop the center spire was a cast iron weather vane in the shape of a mermaid with… were those fangs and claws?

"This place looks like it was taken directly from a horror flick," Lita said after taking everything in.

The others nodded then picked up their bags and headed for the huge wooden double doors that marked the entrance.

"Hey, Raye," Serena started as they walked, "what happened to that red outfit you were going to wear today?"

The raven-haired priestess shrugged. "For some reason I felt it was in my best interest not to wear red this weekend. I don't know why though."

"Oh."

"Is there someone standing in the doorway?" Mina asked, pointing to a tall figure casually leaning against the doorframe, an overnight bag at his feet.

The others glanced in the direction the taller blonde pointed while Serena blanched and slowed her steps. "No. That can't be. I have to spend a weekend with him? Is any inheritance worth this?" the petite blonde asked agitatedly, her breath becoming quick and shallow.

"What are you talking about, Serena?" Amy asked, suddenly concerned for her friend.

"Meatball Head! Fancy meeting you here!" Serena whimpered as a familiar tall, ebony-haired young man with midnight blue eyes stepped out from the doorway.

"Why are you here, Darien?" the girl in question spit out through gritted teeth.

"Probably the same reason you are. It seems a John Cunningham saw fit to leave me something in his will. I thought I'd find out what it was."

"Do you know who this guy was?" Lita asked in an attempt to curtail the imminent bickering-fest that was sure to be brewing.

The young man's brows furrowed. "Actually, no, I don't. I don't remember this man at all." A pained look flashed across his features. "That doesn't mean I didn't know him though," he finished quietly, looking down at the ground.

Serena found her heart going out to him, somehow knowing that thought opened an old wound, one that had never really healed. She wished then that she could be sure that their game was just that. Without that assurance she couldn't find the courage to share her true feelings with him, and she wasn't about to give him any real ammunition to use against her.

Darien raised his head and met Serena's sapphire blue gaze. He saw gentle sympathy and a desire to help before she turned her head shyly away. "Well," he said, shifting his attention to all the girls standing in front of him, "the only way to find out what's going on is to go inside and let that lawyer tell us." He opened one of the doors and bowed shortly. "After you, ladies, Meatball Head."

"Will you stop calling me that?" Serena snapped as she passed him on her way inside.

"And take away my entertainment for the weekend? I don't think so," he responded as her followed her in and closed the door.

The six of them looked around in awe at the huge foyer with its high vaulted ceiling and large carpeted marble staircase at the far end. The dark gray and burgundy color scheme lent a gloomy atmosphere to their surroundings. They found themselves unconsciously huddling closer together just inside the door.

"You know, a lighter color scheme would do wonders in here," Mina commented as she appraised the space.

Serena bit her lower lip. "Fine. You redecorate. I'm leaving." She reached down to pick up her bags. When she brought her head back up, she found herself face to face with a strange older-looking gentleman wearing a dark formal suit. She jumped back with an "eep" of fright, causing each of the others to follow suit one at a time.

"Geez, Meatball Head. Would you control yourself?" Darien spit out, his right hand covering his heart.

The new man cleared his throat. "My name is Ralph. I am the late John Cunningham's butler. Let me escort you to the drawing room where the will is to be read this evening before dinner is served." The gray-haired man stepped toward a set of double doors on the left side of the foyer. "Leave your bags. They shall be taken to your designated rooms while you are otherwise occupied."

"Excuse me," Lita said as the butler's hands rested on the knobs of the doors, "but I don't think any of us knew the late Mr. Cunningham." She paused and fidgeted one of her rose earrings. "Even when he was early," she finished with a weak laugh. The others groaned.

Ralph smiled mysteriously. "Don't worry; all will be explained." The man threw open the doors to reveal a large antique-furnished drawing room with a similar dark color scheme. An ancient black walnut desk and matching chair sat in front of a giant picture window along the outer wall that was flanked on either side by bookshelves that took up the remainder of the wall space on the that side of the room. Rich velvet forest green drapes were drawn to each side of the window, allowing the light of the setting sun to illuminate the interior. An East Lake sofa, with scrolled black walnut trim, carved legs, and overstuffed green velvet cushions with matching throw pillows sat in the center of the room with its back to the teenagers gathered in the doorway. Two matching chairs sat on either side of a modestly carved waist-high table, again in black walnut, sporting a beautiful stained glass lamp. The final piece of the set was a love seat that faced the window and desk.

An old style roll top desk had been placed against the opposite wall's ornately carved walnut paneling. A green velvet cushioned high back chair sat in front of it. Two ancient paintings, presumably of the original Cunninghams, decorated the wall on either side. Another small stained glass lamp was on top.

Bookshelves made of the same black walnut wood that seemed to be the theme in this room took up the wall space on either side of the door that was just off center in the right hand wall. A few bronze busts resembling various historical figures took up space on the shelves every now and again.

Along the wall to the right of the door was a hip high table with an antique lace doily and a black and white marble chess set. Amy was almost visibly drooling at the sight of it.

The last thing that caught the group's attention was the huge crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. Rainbows played along the room's surfaces, reflected from the massive light fixture. They couldn't wait to see it lit.

Again Ralph cleared his throat. "May I introduce the others mentioned in Mr. Cunningham's will." He gestured to the man standing behind the desk by the window. "I believe you've already met Mr. Hewett Doyle, Mr. Cunningham's attorney. By the roll top desk is Mr. Barrett Ward, an old friend." A white-haired man wearing a black suit and tie with a red dress shirt nodded in greeting. "Standing by the library desk is Dr. Nathaniel Blake, Mr. Cunningham's long time physician." The gray haired man dressed casually in a red turtleneck and black vest mock saluted. "In the chair to the left side of the table is Mr. Harris Kingsly, Mr. Cunningham's traveling companion."

A bulky man with brown hair peppered with gray wearing a tan suit, white shirt and brown tie with a mustache and monocle sprung from his seat and rushed over to Mina who had taken a couple steps into the room. "Perhaps you've read some of my books. Twelve Walking Tours Through the Sahara?" he asked forcefully with a British accent.

Mina shook her head politely. "No, I'm afraid I…"

He took a step closer. "Beverly Hills On Five Shillings a Day?"

"No, I don't…"

He moved even closer, making Mina lean back. "Who's Whom On Ellis Island?"

"Uh, no…" Nervousness made her voice shake, and she shot looks back at her friends who were all trying to hide huge smiles. "Some friends you guys are," she muttered under her breath.

"Kingsly," the attorney reprimanded, exasperated. The other man returned to his seat, and Mina breathed a sigh of relief.

Ralph continued with his introductions as though nothing had happened. "In the chair to the right of the table is Madame Roselle, Mr. Cunningham's," he coughed and smirked slightly, "personal spiritualist." Raye's eyebrow lifted as an older lady with graying black hair tied in a bun at the nape of her neck and wearing a purple-themed floral print dress with a high lace collar nodded regally after her less than respectful introduction.

"And lastly, the young gentleman by the bookcase is Eli Cunningham, Mr. John Cunningham's grandnephew." The young man with short dark green hair and matching eyes wearing a white peasant-style shirt and khaki pants smiled somewhat shyly at the new group.

Lita's reaction was immediate. Her emerald green eyes glazed over and a soft smile appeared on her face. She sighed. "He looks just like my old boyfriend." Raye and Serena, standing on either side of the tall brunette, began waving their hands in front of her face and calling her name.

"Lita. Lita!" Raye called as the dazed girl obliviously brushed by her and moved toward the new boy.

Serena sighed. "She's in love."

Raye crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, for the very first time today."

The small blonde turned to the raven-haired priestess and giggled. Raye returned the look and wiggled her eyebrows. Both girls then laughed and moved to take seats on the sofa. Amy covered her mouth with her hand to hide her giggles and Darien smiled amusedly as the two followed.

Ralph cleared his throat once more. "And for those of you who were waiting, I shall introduce our newest arrivals. Standing next to the library desk is Mina Aino." The blonde girl adjusted her knee-length orange dress with its yellow heart design and flashed a thousand watt smile as she also flashed a "V for victory" with her right hand.

"Near the bookcase is Lita Kino." The brunette picked a few specks of lint from her dark green pin striped suit jacket and slacks and adjusted the pink scarf around her neck then spared a glance and small smile for the other occupants of the room before returning all her attention to Eli Cunningham with a sigh. The other girls groaned.

"Starting on my right with the blue-haired young lady on the davenport is Amy Mizuno." She smiled shyly as she fidgeted with the hem of the short white lace jacket she wore over her mid-calf length navy blue dress.

"Next to her is Darien Shields." He nodded briefly, slightly loosening the black tie he wore with a midnight blue silk dress shirt and black dress pants.

"To his left is Serena Tsukino." The blonde brought her head up from her task of picking the pills off her white sweater and smoothing a few small creases in her pink pleated skirt, smiled brightly, and gave a little wave, shooting a glare at Darien when he chuckled lightly.

"And last but not least is Raye Hino." The raven-haired girl nodded solemnly before flipping her tresses over her shoulder and straightening the purple scarf she wore around her waist over a sleeveless mock turtleneck dress that fell just shy of her knees.

"Since everyone seems to be here, I suggest we begin the reading of the will and then retire to the dining room for dinner." Hewett Doyle placed his briefcase on the desk and opened it.

Serena's eyes lit up at the mention of dinner. "You better hurry, Mr. Doyle. Meatball Head here is starting to drool, and an impatient, hungry Meatball Head is not a pretty sight."

"Stop calling me that!" Serena fumed as she smacked Darien on the arm. He smirked.

"Ahem. May I continue?" Both verbal combatants managed to look contrite. "Thank you." The lawyer pulled a stack of papers and a phonograph record out of his briefcase then shut it as Mina and Lita found places to sit on the love seat and Ralph shut the doors to the room. "Now then, Mr. Cunningham recorded some last words and requested they be played to his potential heirs in the event of his death." The small brown-haired man disappeared behind the desk.

Mina leaned over to the girl beside her. "It'll never be a hit."

Lita leaned back. "What about the flipside?"

Mina shot her a weird look as Doyle reappeared with a phonograph player and placed it next to his briefcase. He placed the record on top and began to crank it. "This should provide some answers to your questions." Once it was ready, Doyle put the needle in the correct position and let it play.

"Hello, everyone," a scratchy old man's voice began, "I thought I would explain in my own words and my own way why I have asked all of you here for this weekend of morbid fun. First and foremost, I need to explain that I am a crotchety old fart – a rich crotchety old fart as at least half of you know – and I make no apologies for it. I found that my abrasive attitude separated the wheat from the chaff, the people who were truly good compared to those who only wished to please me in hopes for some sort of gain. I want you to know that I have found very few truly good people during my lifetime. The ones that are still alive are sitting in this room – and I most certainly am not referring to all of you." There was a slightly amount of grumbling from various parts of the room. The voice continued.

"There, that's enough of that. Now for the explanations. Ralph, my butler. You were always there for me, even when you probably shouldn't have been. You knew when to put me in my place, and I appreciate that. You're a good man – not truly good, but good all the same." The aforementioned man smiled a small tightlipped grin and straightened his jacket.

"Hewett Doyle, my attorney. You went above and beyond the call of duty, making this whole tedious process a lot easier than it would have been otherwise. I thank you." A flash of irritation crossed the lawyer's face before his calm mask snapped back into place.

"Barrett Ward, my friend. You met me in school and put up with me until the day I died. You can't ask for much more than that. And remember, if you're listening to this, I won the bet." The white-haired man chuckled and shook his head.

"Nathaniel Blake, my doctor. No matter how many times I called you a quack, you kept coming back for more, and there's no one else I would have trusted to be there at the end." The gray-haired man tugged on his vest then gave a short mock salute to the phonograph player beside him.

"Harris Kingsly, my traveling companion. You definitely made things interesting, no matter how bad your books were. Just remember, I always said it to your face." The middle-aged man's jaw dropped and his monocle fell to the end of its chain. Quickly regaining his composure, he put his eyepiece back in place and harrumphed in insult.

"Madame Roselle, my spiritualist. Another one who added spice to my life. And we enjoyed it, didn't we, sweetcheeks? Oh, and there will be an envelope for you when you leave Sunday night. Wait until you're off the ferry to read the contents. Just a suggestion." There was a slight blush on the older lady's cheeks as she dropped her gaze to her lap.

"Eli Cunningham, my grandnephew. You are the last chance to carry on the Cunningham name. I kept track of you as you've grown, and I have to say I'm proud of you, as much as I wasn't expecting to be. Thank you for throwing me that curve ball; you are one of those truly good people. To refuse my money when you needed it to prove to yourself you could do it on your own… This is hard for me to say, but you made me love you. Be proud." The old man's voice cracked at the end of that speech and there was a moment of silence on the recording, during which Eli wiped away some tears of his own. Lita sighed as she looked on.

"Raye Hino. I stopped by your grandfather's temple to see if I could find anyone who truly believed in anything anymore and I found you. I could see you had plenty of chores to do and yet you sacrificed your afternoon to explain to me your beliefs and argue points of philosophy. I found what I was looking for, and the arguments pushed it over the edge. Another truly good person. Oh, and there's an envelope for you too." Raye's face held an expression of shock that melted away to confusion at the mention of the envelope. Serena giggled softly at her friend.

"Mina Aino. You tracked me down to my hotel room and refused to take no for an answer when I tried to send you away. You returned a wallet with six hundred dollars in it. It showed a good, honest heart," Mina smiled at this, "and I appreciated the way you let my attitude roll right off you and turned down my offer for a reward, not even asking my name. Yet another truly good person." Mina's smile grew wider. "But the part I liked best was the fact that… it wasn't my wallet." Mina's face fell, while everyone else strove to control his or her laughter. "Never fear, I returned it to the appropriate person, minus a one hundred dollar finder's fee." His voice dropped to a whisper. "And I'll split it with you." His voice returned to normal. "There's also an envelope for you." Mina got a questioning look on her face and glanced at Raye, who shrugged.

"Lita Kino. I came across you at the grocery store while I was desperately looking for the right ingredients for a special dinner I was having with my grandnephew, not that you knew that. Not only did you give me a better menu and top-notch vegetables, you didn't take any of my crap. All for my own good you said." The man snickered. "You were right, of course. Now that I'm dead I can admit that. And all because you saw someone who looked like they needed help at the store. Truly good." He chuckled again. "And there's an envelope for you."

"Amy Mizuno. I found myself injured and at Tokyo General Hospital at one point, and your mother was my doctor. She had recently left my room – it seems the staff was being overworked – when a small girl with short blue hair crept in the door. She offered to get me anything I might need – an extra blanket, something to drink, a doctor or nurse if I thought I needed it – and waited through one of my professional tantrums to get my real answer, although I noticed her flinch a lot. I was so surprised to see the girl who had so meekly entered my room stick out one of my tirades I just blinked when I was done and told her I'd like a glass of orange juice. She was quick about it too, and completely polite, even though I didn't deserve it. A truly good saint! A letter will be waiting for you as well." Amy had sunk as far into the overstuffed cushions as she could, her face beet red with embarrassment. Darien just looked at her funny while the girls laughed at her predicament.

"Last but not least would be Serena Tsukino and Darien Shields. I'm putting you two together because I met you together. I had fallen down the concrete stairs in one of the parks and it turns out I had broken my hip. Right, Amy?" Snickers filled the listeners' ears. "Anyway, I was scraped up and bleeding, and as I laid there in pain the first sound I heard other than animals chattering away in the trees was two people arguing as they walked on a path headed in my direction. Now I've come up with some creative insults in my time, and I've had a lot of that, but these two were champions!" Both parties blushed furiously, looking away from each other. "The next thing I knew the two of them burst on the scene, not that they realized anything other than their little game, I'm sure." More laughter, including those not immediately involved sitting in the drawing room, caused the pair to blush even further. Serena went so far as to bury her face in her hands. At least she did until Raye poked her unmercifully in the ribs.

"The little blonde with the weird hair caught her foot on my prone form, fortunately only kicking my shin and not any higher. The black-haired young man caught her before she could cause any more damage, and the two of them gasped at the sight. I almost started snapping at them to quit their gawking and get me some help when they came back to the real world and went to work. Darien silently handed her a cloth handkerchief then pulled out a cell phone and called for assistance. Serena dashed off to a nearby water fountain and dampened the cloth, bringing it back to gently clean out a few cuts on my face. Meanwhile, Darien moved to my injured side and checked my side almost professionally. There was a nasty cut along the calf closest to him, and he looked up to the girl now working on my arm, telling her about what he suspected the injury to my hip was and the cut. She merely nodded and tore off the brooch she wore in the middle of her school uniform's chest bow and threw it into her school bag. She then dashed off again." Everyone stared at the blushing pair in surprise; they were too busy looking at the green patterned Persian rug beneath their feet.

"Darien had his uniform's jacket folded and under my head by the time Serena came back with a now clean handkerchief and damp bow ribbon. She handed the latter to her companion and returned to her work on my arm. He was just as quick to clean out my leg. Soon after, the EMTs arrived and hauled me off to Tokyo General." Serena shot a startled look at Amy, who blushed, but didn't turn away.

"The thing that struck me the most was that even though the two of them had been fighting like cats and dogs, the moment a crisis came up, they managed to toss their differences aside and work together like they scripted it. Had I only been an observer instead of the victim, I probably would have thought it was scripted. And their performance in the park wasn't all. They found me in the hospital and visited. Two complete strangers that had done all duty required took it a step further and visited. You both have a lonely old man's gratitude for being the purely good people that you are." A smile joined Serena's blush, while Darien merely looked bewildered. "There are envelopes for the both of you as well." Two sets of blue eyes widened.

"I believe that takes care of my reasoning for inviting you all here. Have fun! And now I'll let you go for the last time so your curiosities can be completely sated with the reading of my will. Farewell, and may those of you that deserve it find your future bright and happy." The only sound that filled the air was a soft scratching as the needle reached the end of the record.

Doyle reached out and drew back the arm. "Thus were the last words of Mr. John Cunningham." There was a brief moment of silence. "And now we shall move on to the reading of the will."


	2. Chapter 2

Sailor See, Sailor Die - Chapter Two  
A Fic Challenge Response by Una Moonstar

ANs: It seems I have a modest little audience for this little story. Thanks to all of you who are reading and those of you who've reviewed (whether online or just in your heads... -_grin_-). Now for the will... and the stipulation... Enjoy!

_(fade out...)_

_(begin chapter...)_

The group sat through a tedious fifteen minutes of legal mumbo-jumbo before finally getting to the meat of the document. Serena fidgeted and squirmed until Raye gave her a glare and a sharp elbow to the ribs. When the blonde glanced to her other side she was surprised not to see Darien sharing the priestess' attitude or even a smirk. The ebony-haired young man seemed thoughtful, even a bit confused. Serena stole worried looks at him until one of the lawyer's sentences grabbed her attention.

"And now for the disposition of the assets." Everyone seemed to perk up at the announcement. "To Lita Kino I leave twenty-five thousand dollars to be use solely for living expenses. Also, there is a fifty- dollar a week credit at the Shinozaki Family Market for you to use until you reach the age of eighteen." Lita's eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the lawyer's words.

"To Raye Hino I leave twenty-five thousand dollars to be used for the upkeep and preservation of the Cherry Hill Temple. Also, you may have the landscape painting you will find in your assigned bedroom." Raye gasped in shock.

"To Amy Mizuno I leave twenty-five thousand dollars to be used for computer equipment and other research materials you deem necessary for your studies. Also, you may have the black and white marble chess set found in the drawing room of my residence and half of the books in my library, specific titles to be decided upon at a later date following an agreement with the other heir." Amy looked at the shelves along the walls to either side of her in wonder, her gaze falling lastly on the chess set.

"To Mina Aino I leave twenty-five thousand dollars to be used in your efforts to aid children. Also, you may have the double width full- length mirror you will find in your assigned bedroom, and fifty dollars cash which you will find in your envelope on top of its original contents."

Mina leaned over to Lita. "Fifty dollars? What could that be for?"

Lita smirked. "Your half of the finder's fee, remember?"

"Oh." A smile split the blonde's face. "Cool!"

"To Darien Shields I leave twenty-five thousand dollars to be used solely for living expenses. Also, I have secured you a small amount of space in the Azabu Area Greenhouse for your horticultural projects." Darien blinked a few times, sighed, and shook his head.

"To Serena Tsukino I leave twenty-five thousand dollars to be used for your dream wedding. You'll find an extra surprise in your envelope." Serena gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Her sapphire blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears of happiness.

"I also leave to each of the previously mentioned people fifty thousand dollars to be used for their college educations," they all gasped, "with the stipulation that Serena and Darien spend as much of their weekend at my residence together as possible." Four girls groaned while the couple in question stared at each other in shock.

"To Ralph Peterson, my faithful butler, I leave two million dollars. Hopefully that will be enough to allow you to retire and live comfortably. You've earned it." A small smile of amusement appeared on the servant's features.

"To Nathaniel Blake I leave one million dollars to be used for the construction of the clinic you have been planning. Then maybe you can find patients that have pleasant personalities." The doctor chuckled under his breath and shook his head.

"To Barrett Ward I leave five million dollars so you can live comfortably for the time you have left with enough left over so you can leave your grandkids something. Also, I leave you Mascot, my sheep and living lawn mower. You know the reason." The silver-haired man began laughing uproariously, nearly falling out of his chair.

Doyle waited until Barrett had regained control of himself before continuing. "To Hewett Doyle I leave five hundred thousand dollars for all his time and patience. Maybe you can get that house in the country you've been dreaming about." He cleared his throat with a touch of annoyance and read on.

"To Roselle Gillette I leave two million dollars so you can live comfortably, at least for a while. I thank you for all the good times." The lady wiped at her eyes stoically and looked off into space.

"To Harris Kingsly I leave two million dollars so you can have fun traveling without me griping at you every two minutes. Also, I give you my autographed tennis ball collection, all six hundred of them. Since you helped me go through most of the work to get them, I thought you would enjoy the fruits of my labor." The monocle fell from his eye once again as his jaw dropped. The older people snickered.

"And lastly, to Eli Cunningham I leave the remainder of my assets including this house and land that it sits on. Yes, that's right. The family owns this island. Wonderful, isn't it? Anyway, I believe that wraps everything up, so I'll let Mr. Doyle finish off the legal mumbo jumbo, and you folks can get something to eat." There was a muted chattering amongst the older people, while the younger people withdrew somewhat within themselves. Mr. Doyle finished off the remainder of the will then began to pack everything back into his briefcase. "Ralph, if you could inform the kitchen staff that our business is finished here?"

"Of course." He bowed briefly and left through the door between the bookcases.

"The rest of us can adjourn to the dining room. Dinner will be served momentarily," the attorney said as he closed and locked the case. He gestured toward the door Ralph had disappeared through.

The group slowly made their way into the dining room. The light from the pair of small crystal chandeliers brought out a golden glow from the oak floor, china cabinets, and dining room set. A regal looking set of china with an oak leaf pattern centered each place setting, and a card sat above each plate informing the guests where they were supposed to sit. Beautiful silverware glittered from its place on either side of the settings. Crystal goblets refracted the soft light into small rainbows that played along the antique lace tablecloth.

The group separated and seated themselves in their designated places. Eli sat at the head of the table, with Mina to his left and Serena to his right. Darien sat to Serena's right, then Amy, Harris Kingsly, and Nathaniel Blake. Lita sat on Mina's left, then Raye, Madam Roselle, and Barrett Ward. Hewett Doyle sat at the opposite end of the table from Eli.

As soon as they were seated, the swinging doors behind Darien and Amy swung open revealing a pair of servants carrying two bowls of soup apiece. Quietly they placed the dishes in front of the ladies at the far side of the table. They continued the process until everyone had been served.

"This is quite good," Eli commented after eating a spoonful.

"Delicious," Lita agreed, blushing slightly. There were other quiet murmurs of agreement from around the table.

Serena struggled to keep from slurping the liquid from her spoon, partially for appearances, but mostly to limit Darien's possible ammunition for teasing attacks. She stole looks at him as she ate and saw that he seemed abnormally obsessed with his soup. Her breath caught as her concentration wavered and a slurp escaped. She waited for the inevitable jibe, but none came. Now she was worried.

Darien found himself examining his feelings for a certain Meatball Head ever since he had heard the condition set forth by John Cunningham for him and all the other girls to inherit their gifts. He must have thought he saw something between him and Serena when they helped him in the park that day. But that was impossible, wasn't it? Meatball Head and the conceited jerk together?

He didn't remember going into the dining room and barely noticed when the bowl of soup was set before him. He ate mechanically, staring blankly into the amber liquid. What did he feel for the sweet young blonde seated to his left? He… liked her; he was willing to admit that much. She was pretty and had a laugh that brightened his day. And those eyes… They were a deep, sparkling blue that put sapphires to shame.

His brain registered a slurping sound from his left, but he paid it no heed. He had suddenly come to the conclusion that this little requirement just might be the best thing to happen to him in a long time.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

While Darien and Serena pondered each other, the others concentrated on the soup placed before them, and an uneasy silence enveloped the dining area. Only the occasional small slurp and clack of utensil on china echoed in the sparsely decorated room. That is, until a loud slurp came from the meatball-headed blonde near the head of the table.

Suddenly a giggle started softly from the blonde across from the offender. It spread slowly at first, but eventually everyone was laughing, even Serena somewhat sheepishly, with two exceptions. Darien sat back and smiled, having just had his emotional revelation, and Hewett Doyle continued to eat his soup, a scowl firmly planted on his features as he glared unnoticed at the rest of the table.

After the ice was broken, tentative conversations sprung up around the table.

"So, Raye," Madam Roselle said to the raven-haired girl beside her, "you were raised in a Shinto shrine, is that right?"

"Yes," she responded a touch warily.

"Is it true you can see the future in the Sacred Flames?"

"Sometimes, if the fire wishes the vision to be seen."

"Ah. How utterly fascinating, my dear. You must tell me more about your faith later, when we have more time to ourselves."

Raye just looked at her suspiciously.

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

"So, how many broken-hearted men did you two beauties leave behind to come out to this haunted old mansion?" Eli asked Mina and Lita with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Neither girl noticed.

"Haunted?" Mina asked with wide eyes.

"Come now," Eli said, warming up to his subject, "this house has been in the family for generations. You don't honestly believe it can get away from history without a few spooks and specters, do you?"

"Well…" Mina began hesitantly.

"You're joking, right, Eli?" Lita asked with a quiver in her voice.

He raised his eyebrows. "Am I?" He smiled.

The blonde and brunette to his left shivered and went back to the last of their soup.

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

Harris Kingsly finished his soup and dropped his spoon into the bowl with a loud clatter. Amy, who had finished a few moments before him in a much quieter fashion, turned her head at the noise and smiled shyly.

"Ms. Mizuno, is it?" he asked politely.

"Yes, it is," she replied quietly.

"Perhaps you've read some of my books." Amy's eyes grew wide. "Beverly Hills On Five Shillings a Day?"

"No, I'm afraid…"

"Beautica: City On The Moon."

Her jaw nearly dropped before she responded. "Uh, no, I don't…"

"Philadelphia: Where To Find It?"

"Um…"

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

Nathaniel Blake and Barrett Ward carried on a conversation over the table of memories and reminiscing. The few snippets heard by the other occupants of the table told of a man who was most certainly not an old man all his life. Hewett Doyle merely sat back and scowled during the exchange, listening intently, unseen by anyone.

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

Serena finished the last of her soup and turned to face Darien. "You don't think Eli is right, do you? About this place being haunted I mean." Her sapphire blue eyes were wide in tentative fear.

He smirked at her, although if she had looked closely at his eyes she would have seen an unfamiliar softness there. "Don't tell me you believe in that kind of thing, Meatball Head! How old are you?"

She pouted. "Hey, when it comes to ghosts, it doesn't matter how old you are! And don't call me Meatball Head!"

"You have a point. It's not like age is a sure cure for gullibility. But hey! If that's the way you think, I might be able to get my hands on some oceanfront property in Kansas for you!" His infamous quirky grin grew.

Serena just looked at him confused. "Where's Kansas? And why would I want oceanfront property? I live in Tokyo. Do you know how expensive that would be?"

Darien rolled his eyes and sighed with an almost audible chuckle. "Never mind, Meatball Head. If you have to explain the joke, it's not funny anymore."

"You were making fun of me? You jerk!" Something inside of her hurt more than usual at this latest round of teasing. She was hoping that maybe they could call a truce since they were stuck together for the weekend. And maybe that would lead to an actual friendship. Or maybe something more…

Darien took notice of the slight note in her voice that told him he might have gone a bit too far, considering the circumstances. "Just… leave it be, Serena." He used his spoon to play around with the slight puddle of liquid at the bottom of his bowl, avoiding the blonde to his left's direct gaze.

Her injured feelings drew up short at the minute sound of dejection in his remark on top of the use of her real name. "O… okay, Darien," she replied, barely above a whisper. Her eyes searched his profile, sensing a tiny shift in their relationship, and seeking confirmation. The muscles in his jaw were clenching just enough to make her believe she was right. Now what did she do with this information?

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

The main course was served then, cutting off all the conversations. Fortunately the uneasiness that had prevailed before did not return, and light chatter ruled the rest of dinner. After dessert, a flaming Baked Alaska, the group leisurely returned to the drawing room. Darien held the door for everyone, entering just after Serena, who had lagged behind in hopes of discovering the reason behind the tight, thoughtful look the ebony-haired young man wore. He only glanced at her strangely, leaving her biting her lower lip in worry that she had done something wrong.

The chandelier had been lit, and the girls all gasped in wonder at the gorgeous picture it presented. Serena felt Darien step up directly behind her as she gazed at the crystal light fixture and glanced over her shoulder to gage his reaction. He had a slight look of awe on his face, and she smiled to see it.

Meanwhile, the older members of the group gathered murmured in confusion at the sight of envelopes placed at various places around the room. Their voices brought the younger people back to Earth. "What's going on?" Serena asked wide-eyed.

"Envelopes, with our names on them," Madam Roselle said from the seat she had occupied during the will reading.

"And all placed where we had been sitting while Doyle read the will," Nathaniel Blake added, holding his own envelope.

"Did you do this, Ralph?" Darien asked, picking his letter up off the sofa.

"No," the butler responded, looking as bewildered as everyone else. "I was in the kitchen eating with the other servants."

"Did you arrange for this, Mr. Doyle?" Amy asked, examining her envelope.

"No, I did not. As all of you know I was in the dining hall with the rest of you all during dinner. And I had already completed everything Mr. Cunningham had requested me to do."

"Looks like there's nothing else left to do but find out what the letters say," Lita said as she shrugged and opened her envelope.

Mina followed suit. "I wonder what it says." Her eyes widened as she read the first few lines.

"What? What's it say?" Serena asked as she struggled with opening hers. Darien silently grabbed it, tore it open, and returned it. "Thanks."

Darien didn't respond as he read his own letter. When he finished he leaned in close to Serena's ear. "We'll have to talk about this in private once we get up to our room," he whispered. She nodded.

Raye caught each of the other girls' eyes for a moment and gave them a look that unknowingly said the same thing. Each nodded, with Serena discreetly flashing her communicator and getting a smile in return.

"I… I think it might be time to show us to our rooms, Ralph," Madam Roselle said quietly, looking a bit shaken by whatever she had read.

"Of course," he responded, his wide eyes the only indication that he had been affected by the new information. "I'll take you up two at a time, as the hall leading to the sleeping rooms is quite narrow. Mr. Blake, Mr. Kingsly, if you'd follow me please?" The two men rose and let the butler lead them out of the drawing room and up the marble staircase to their rooms.

While the three people were gone, the remaining guests looked warily at each other, only the five girls that had come together saying anything. The adults in the room glanced at the group of nervous girls, with their unnoticed dark-haired protector looming over them, specifically the meatball-headed blonde in the center, then suspiciously at each other, as if waiting for one of them to try something. Eli moved closer to the younger group in the center of the room.

Everyone jumped when Ralph returned with a slight cough to announce his arrival. "Madam Roselle, Mr. Ward, if you would?" The next group left.

After another ten suspicious minutes passed, the butler returned once more. "Mr. Doyle, Mr. Cunningham?" They left.

"I wonder how many bedrooms this place has?" Mina asked as she examined the stained glass lamp on the table between the two overstuffed chairs.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you, Mina," Raye said with a smirk. "I don't think Eli would appreciate a broken Tiffany lamp."

The taller blonde shot the raven-haired priestess an annoyed look then went back to her examination. "It's not Tiffany," she said authoritatively.

The others in the room looked at her in shock. Amy stepped forward to look for herself. "She's right. The signature is here on the base." The blue-haired girl gazed up at her friend, impressed. "Very good, Mina. Sharp eye, too. That signature is easy to miss."

Mina smiled and straightened with pride as Ralph reentered the room. "Miss Mizuno, Miss Aino, Miss Kino, and Miss Hino, if you would follow me?" he asked, gesturing toward the stairs.

"Wait a minute," Lita said before anyone had moved. "I thought you said the hall was too narrow for more than two people at a time."

The butler's dark brown gaze met the tall brunette's emerald green one. "The four of you will be sharing a room, so there will be no confusion and awkward maneuvering when we reach it. Now if you ladies would?"

The girls shrugged and followed. Once they were on their way up the stairs, Darien turned to face the small blonde at his side. "Look, Serena, I know this isn't the most comfortable of situations for you, and I don't want to make things worse. So I suggest a truce for the weekend. Is that alright with you?"

Serena examined the neutral expression the tall young man in front of her wore. "I like that idea very much. And if it works for the weekend, how about we think of extending it?" She smiled shyly.

He looked surprised for a moment, then returned the smile with his own quirky grin. "That sounds like a marvelous idea, Serena." He extended his hand to seal the deal.

She reached out and shook the offered hand, both parties noticing the electrical shock from the contact. They quickly let go and stepped away from each other, Serena moving to the chess set, and Darien to the nearest bookcase.

"Oh, wow, how appropriate," Serena said as she examined the underside of the white queen.

"What's appropriate?" Darien asked as he examined one of the brass busts on the bookshelves.

"The symbol for Mercury has been carved into the base of these chess pieces, and now the set belongs to Amy," she said as she looked at the other pieces.

"Next question: why is that appropriate?"

"That's easy. She's Sa…" Serena quickly cut herself off before she told Darien Amy's other identity. "She's a Virgo. Mercury rules the sign of Virgo, Gemini too actually." Blushing, she moved to the other side of the board to look at the black pieces.

Darien glanced over his shoulder at the blushing blonde. "I didn't know you studied astrology, Serena."

"Yeah, a little bit. It's kind of interesting."

"I've always kind of scoffed at that whole horoscope thing." He shrugged and turned his attention back to the books.

"The horoscope you read in the paper isn't worth your time. The only way to get an accurate reading is to use the whole chart. Using the whole natal chart and the current transits, you can get a more accurate picture of the upcoming climate."

Darien turned completely around and looked at the petite blonde in shock. "Only a little?"

Serena looked up at him and blushed. "Well, it's an interesting subject."

He smirked. "So you're saying that you can tell me exactly what's going to happen to me based on where the stars are on any given day?"

She smirked back. "Nope. I could tell you the major trends that are most likely to happen based on where the planets are in the sky on any given day and time compared to where they were at the exact moment of your birth. Astrology gives you a map; you use your own free will to decide what path you'll take."

His smirk faded to a genuine smile. "You really seem to know your stuff."

She giggled. "I guess so. Maybe I could do your chart one of these days."

"Maybe."

Just then Ralph returned. "Miss Tsukino, Mr. Shields, if you would?" The two of them followed the butler up the stairs and to the end of the extremely narrow hall. "This is the master bedroom," he said opening the large door in front of them. "Your things have been placed inside and the bed turned down. If you need anything use the bell pull to the side of the bed. Are there any questions?"

"We're sharing a bedroom?" Serena asked quietly.

"Of course. Mr. Cunningham said you were to spend as much of the weekend together as possible. Thus he assigned you the master bedroom."

"Mr. Cunningham arranged the sleeping arrangements?" Darien asked incredulously.

"He was always a most methodical man, Mr. Shields. Everything for this weekend was arranged two months before he passed on. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must also seek my bed." He bowed slightly and went back down the hall.

The two of them were standing in the open doorway of their room in shock when the door to their right opened and four heads popped out. "You guys are sharing a room?" Mina asked excitedly.

"How romantic," Lita said with a snicker.

"Now no hanky panky, you two," Raye said, smirking.

Serena glared at them helplessly while Darien chuckled. "What's the matter, girls? Jealous?" Mina, Lita, and Raye turned red, while Amy's shade went from red to purple. "You heard the will. We're supposed to spend as much of the weekend together as possible. Apparently that includes while we're asleep. So if you would please lay off the jokes, we'll take care of getting you your college money."

"Well, if you put it that way…" Mina's voice trailed off while Amy tried to drag them back into their room.

"Night, guys. Don't keep us up too late with your arguments," Raye commented as she stepped back into the room with a wave. Serena rolled her eyes.

Lita looked as though she were going to say something, but then apparently changed her mind and retreated into the room laughing. Amy hung her head in embarrassment while Mina continued to look speculatively at the couple in front of her. "You will tell us everything, won't you, Serena? That's only fair you know."

"No, I won't! It's none of your business!" Serena sputtered indignantly as Amy finally succeeded in yanking the blonde busy body into the bedroom.

"I'm sorry for… that, you guys. Why don't we get together tomorrow morning and discuss what we received in those letters? It looks really suspicious, the way they were left behind and no one knows where they came from."

"Sounds good. Talk to you then!" Serena said cheerfully, smiling and waving as the blue-haired girl disappeared behind the now closed door.

"Speaking of talking, why don't we do that?" Darien suggested, bowing slightly and gesturing for Serena to enter the room first.

"What a gentleman!" she exclaimed as she stepped inside with a giggle.

"I do my best," he responded as he followed, shutting the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Sailor See, Sailor Die - Chapter Three  
A Fic Challenge Response by Una Moonstar

ANs: I'm glad so many of you seem to be enjoying this one. I had lots of fun writing it. So what's going to happen next? You'll have to read and find out! Enjoy!

_(fade out...)_

_(begin chapter...)_

After the two of them put their clothes away, changed clothes, and otherwise settled in for the night, Darien sat in one of the burgundy velvet overstuffed armchairs situated to either side of the fireplace on the right wall and contemplated his temporary roommate.

Serena sat on the four-poster king-size bed against the black walnut East Lake headboard playing with the ruffle of one of the floral-patterned pillows, lost in thought. Her pink bunny flannel pajamas contrasted sharply with the burgundy velvet comforter, and her golden blonde hair, still in its typical style, stood out most of all. Her sapphire blue eyes seemed trained on the bedside table where her letter from the drawing room had been placed upon their arrival. She sighed.

"What did your letter say, Serena?" Darien asked, absently fiddling with his own.

Serena jumped a bit at the sudden break in the silence. "It was a warning. It said the story wasn't complete and I should beware the traitor in our midst, because there's money involved. I should also seek out the rest of the story." She met her companion's gaze. "I have to admit I don't understand what it means."

"I'm not completely sure either. Mine says the same thing, although it's addressed to me personally."

"So what do we do?"

Darien adjusted his navy blue silk pajamas. "For right now, I don't think there's much we can do. Tomorrow we'll talk it over with the other girls, and maybe Eli as well, and do some digging around the house. Hopefully we'll come up with something."

Serena nodded and dropped her gaze to her lap. "Hopefully."

Silence fell between the two. Darien put his letter on the small black walnut table beside his chair and lost himself in thought. Finally he brought his head up and looked at the petite blonde in the bed speculatively. "Hey, Serena."

Her head snapped up. "What?"

"Do you have any books with you?"

"Uh, yeah, I brought along my homework and a few others. Why?"

"I was thinking you could come over here by the fire and read to get your mind off the letters. If you want, I could help you with your homework."

Serena stared at the ebony-haired young man seated by the fire, noticing the softness in his midnight blues. "That would be really nice, thank you."

She brought over her school bag, and the two of them lost themselves in the world of numbers and variables.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

A few hours later, Dr. Nathaniel Blake decided he was feeling in the mood for a snack, so he meandered on down to the kitchen to satisfy the craving. He found that the servants had all headed for their beds and started for the refrigerator. Ten minutes later found the doctor making his way through the dining room and into the drawing room with a large plateful of finger foods, desiring to take a closer look at some of the woodwork and furniture. He had set his plate down and was examining the stained glass lamp Mina had earlier declared not to be a Tiffany, smoothing the wrinkles in his red silk pajama top when a shadow fell over him.

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

Two twin sized beds with black walnut East Lake headboards had been moved together in the room the four teenage girls were sharing for the weekend. A large homemade quilt lay atop the makeshift queen sized bed along with a variety of pillows. Mina finished fluffing said pillows in a fit of nerves and stepped over to a curtained doorway that hid a sitting area. As she reached the curtains Raye and Amy stepped out, causing everyone involved to jump and shout. "Are you scared?" Mina asked after she regained her composure somewhat.

Raye held a hand to her chest and fought to control her breathing. "Yes and no." Mina nodded. "Mostly yes," Raye continued as she pushed by the blonde and made her way to the bed. Amy followed after the dark-haired priestess.

Mina took a deep breath and turned around, nearly crashing directly into Lita, who had come out of their private bathroom. It was a repeat of the previous scene. "Don't do that!" Lita said through gritted teeth. "Let's go to bed."

Both girls proceeded to join Raye and Amy, who had already climbed into bed. The four of them shifted and maneuvered themselves for a bit, then Lita turned off the stained glass lamp on the bedside table next to her. As they attempted to get to sleep, the wind began to pick up, causing the tree branches just outside their room to scrape noisily against the glass doors leading to a balcony just as a crash of thunder was heard. Four sets of eyes popped open, and four bodies stiffened in fear. "It's just wind and thunder," Amy said softly.

"Maybe so," Raye conceded, "but I don't think any of us will get some sleep unless we post a watch. Lita, turn on the light, will you?" The tall brunette did as requested. "Now we need to choose who's taking the first watch."

All four girls scrambled out of bed and gathered at the foot of it. "Are we ready?" Lita asked. The others nodded. "Okay then. One, two, three, shoot!" Four hands shot out with two fingers extended. They all pulled back.

"One, two, three, shoot!" Two fingers each again.

"One, two, three, shoot!" As the last word was said, and the hands shot out, once again with everyone showing two fingers, a gunshot rang out through the quiet house.

"That was a gun!" Amy exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth.

"Come on! Let's find out where it came from!" Lita said excitedly.

"Right!" the others said in unison.

After they grabbed their robes and dashed into the hall they were joined by Serena and Darien. "Did you guys hear that?" the meatball-headed blonde asked nervously.

"Of course we did, Meatball Head! Why else would we be out here?" Raye snapped.

"Cool it, Raye. We have more important things to think about – like the source of that shot," Darien quickly intervened.

"Right! Let's go!" Serena said as she led the way down the hall, Darien right on her heels.

Halfway down the hall, their trip was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Madam Roselle in a dramatic pose. They all jumped as they crashed into each other. "I've had a vision of Dr. Blake! Either he's going on a long, pleasant journey, or he's dead!"

Serena looked at the woman quizzically as Raye rolled her eyes. "Well, which is it?"

"Six to one, half a dozen on the other," Madam Roselle replied with a somewhat smug expression.

Serena just shook her head and pushed by the older woman, continuing the trek downstairs.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

The group of teenagers had picked up the rest of the guests as they scurried down the stairs. Barely managing to skid to a halt outside the double doors to the drawing room, Serena caught herself by grabbing the door handles, inadvertently pulling them open.

Everyone gasped at the sight that greeted them. There, sprawled awkwardly over one of the overstuffed chairs, was Dr. Nathaniel Blake, a stream of blood running from a bullet wound in his temple. Serena screeched and brought her hands up over her mouth. Darien drew her into his embrace as his features hardened and his eyes shot around the room taking in all the details.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to be right," Madam Roselle muttered guiltily as she gazed at the scene, horrified.

"What's going on? Let me through! I can't see!" Hewett Doyle yelled from the back of the group.

Mina and Lita silently separated to let the small lawyer through as they looked on in shock. As the little man stepped into the room, Eli moved up behind Lita and put his hands on her shoulders; she unconsciously leaned back against him.

Amy moved into the room as soon as the shock wore off and went over to the body to check it over. She quickly checked for a pulse. "I'm sure you've all figured this out, but Dr. Blake is dead," she said quietly.

"Don't touch anything else, Amy," Darien said softly. "We don't want to interfere with the crime scene for when the police arrive." He gently moved Serena into Raye's arms since the dark-haired girl had taken an almost protective position next to them. "I'll call them now."

As the ebony-haired man moved to the library desk where a candlestick phone stood at the corner, Doyle stepped over to the body and Mina and Serena joined Darien at the desk, Raye a few steps behind. Darien scooped up the phone, placing the earpiece next to his ear and using one of the fingers of the hand that gripped the stem to jiggle the cradle. "Hello, operator? Hello? Operator? Hello? Hello?" He began to trail off as he finally noticed Serena pointing silently to the cord dangling from the base of the phone. "The line's been cut," he muttered dejectedly as he replaced the earpiece and picked up the end of the wire.

"It's been tied in a bow," Mina added.

"Well," Serena continued ruefully, "at least we know the murderer is neat." Darien glared at her as Raye looked on with a smirk.

"I say, what do we do now?" Kingsly asked from the doorway.

"Looks like we're going to have to wait until morning and send someone on the ferry to contact the authorities," Darien shrugged.

"What about the body?" Amy asked clinically.

"We're not going to just leave him there, are we?" Lita asked with disgust.

"I'm sure he's staining the chair," Madam Roselle added. "What?" she said as everyone turned an unbelieving expression toward her.

"Isn't there something like a meat freezer in the back of the kitchen, Ralph?" Barrett Ward asked quietly.

"Yes, of course," the butler responded.

"Wait a minute. Why is there a meat freezer here?" Mina asked, confused.

"Considering how far away we are from civilization, my great uncle thought it best to be able to store large quantities of food for a long period of time. The weather is kind of unpredictable out here, so he never knew when he'd be caught out here unprepared," Eli explained.

"Master Eli is correct," Ralph concurred. "And speaking of unpredictable weather, the ferry has been canceled until Sunday evening due to the fog. We are in the middle of the foggy season." Groans from around the room greeted this revelation.

"Hold on – foggy season? What foggy season?" Darien asked incredulously.

Ralph smirked. "The foggy season goes from, say… 1923 to sometime around 2015."

Eli laughed at Darien's resulting glare. "Actually, Ralph isn't that far off. It's almost perpetually foggy around here. The ferry gets canceled quite often. Hence the meat freezer. You should see the pantry."

Darien rolled his eyes and nodded in understanding. "Fine. Then we're going to need two volunteers to carry Dr. Blake to the freezer."

"Who put you in charge, young man?" Hewett Doyle asked with a sneer.

Darien's eyebrow rose as Serena moved to get in the lawyer's face. "Well, I didn't see you stepping forward to do anything about this situation! And it took you long enough to complain! At least someone thought about doing something instead of just standing in the doorway gawking at poor Dr. Blake! And you have the gall to criticize him for it? Where do you get off?" The petite blonde's tirade was cut off by Raye's hand on her arm and Doyle's surprised step back.

"Easy there, Meatball Head. I'm sure the man would prefer his head on his shoulders." The black-haired priestess looked back over her shoulder as Serena continued to glare at the attorney to see the look of utter shock on Darien's face and Mina stifling a giggle. She smiled slightly. "Come on, Serena. It's time to back off." She pulled a reluctant blonde back toward the library desk.

Eli cleared his throat, taking note of Lita nearly choking on her held-in laughter, and stepped further into the room. "I'll volunteer, if someone could help me."

Darien's attention was drawn back to the matter at hand. "Thanks, Eli. Anyone else?"

"I should be able to help," Kingsly said, moving to the chair where Dr. Blake lay unmoving.

Amy stepped back as the two men came over and lifted the dead man. Ralph then proceeded to lead them to the meat freezer, and the blue-haired girl knelt down to pick up the spilled plate of finger food. "He must have come down for a late-night snack," she reasoned.

"I could have gone for one myself before this happened," Serena said in response.

"Figures," Raye said, rolling her eyes.

"When those three get back, I suggest we all go to bed. We could all use the rest," Darien said, moving next to Serena.

"I know I could," Madam Roselle muttered.

Doyle just looked at the others from his seat on the love seat, where he ended up after backing away from the enraged Serena. "You know, we never talked about who could have done this. How do we know one of the rest of us isn't next?"

Darien glared at him. "We don't. I was hoping to have this discussion tomorrow morning after we all got some sleep. None of us need someone going off half-cocked because a tired imagination ran away with him or her." Doyle merely smirked.

Serena gulped. "It's going to be hard enough to sleep as it is, Mr. Doyle. There's not a whole lot we can do right now, except maybe make sure no one goes anywhere alone. Please, everyone, if you need to go somewhere in the house, have someone else go with you." Her voice shook as she looked around at the others in the room, and Darien wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Serena's right. It looks like it's time to use the buddy system," Amy agreed. Nods of agreement followed.

"But what if we end up paired up with the killer?" Madam Roselle asked meekly.

Darien sighed. "The only thing I can say is to be sure to only go with someone you trust. Beyond that, there's nothing anyone can do until we figure out who did this." The older lady nodded.

Just then Eli, Kingsly, and Ralph came back from their grisly task. "So what's next?" the youngest of the trio asked.

"We go to bed. There's really nothing else we can do. Just be sure to take someone you trust with you whenever you need to go somewhere in the house," Darien responded. The three men nodded in acknowledgement and the group headed for the stairs, closing the double doors behind them.

As the twelve of them reached the landing where the stairs branched to reach the two wings of the house, Eli put his hand on Darien's shoulder. "Thanks for taking charge back there. I couldn't have kept a cool head otherwise."

The ebony-haired young man flashed him his quirky grin. "No problem. Just did what needed to be done. We'll have a discussion over breakfast in the morning. Try to get some sleep, folks." He aimed his last two statements at the entire crowd. They then separated into two groups based on which wing they were sleeping in: Serena, Darien, Lita, Mina, Raye, Amy, and Madam Roselle in the South Wing following the left branch of the stairs, and Eli, Barrett Ward, Kingsly, Doyle, and Ralph in the North Wing to the right.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

After watching Darien lead Serena into their bedroom with his arm around still around her shoulders, the remaining four teenage girls hurried into their own room and locked the door behind them. They stood there for a moment, leaning breathlessly against the closed door before walking shakily to the bed.

Lita watched the others climb silently onto the bed before moving to the window to the left of the balcony doors and opening it. She pulled out a couple pieces of bread from her robe pocket and started to crumble them up and spread the remains along the sill.

The others noticed what she was doing and moved to lie on top of the blankets, feet toward the headboards, to see what was going on. "What are you doing?" Mina asked.

"Well, we need to get a message out of here desperately, so I thought I'd spread these bread crumbs along the window sill to attract a carrier pigeon. Then we attach a message to its leg, and bam! We're saved!" Lita grinned as she finished her explanation.

"Uh, Lita…" Amy started.

"You have got to be kidding," Raye said incredulously.

"Nope!" Lita responded. Just then, defying all logic, a pigeon landed on the sill, scattering the crumbs and cooing. Lita smiled a grin of triumph and gently picked up the bird while the others looked on in awe. "Now we just have to tie a…" She looked closer at one of the pigeon's legs. "Oh. There's already a message strapped to its leg." She started to unravel it.

"What's it say?" Mina asked.

"Please don't strap a message to my leg. I am not a carrier pigeon." Lita's face fell while Mina's jaw dropped and Raye covered her face with her hands, shaking her head in disbelief.

Amy merely looked on with a knowing expression. "I was trying to tell you, Lita. The carrier pigeon became extinct in the 1920's. Besides…"

"Really, Lita," Raye scolded, interrupting the blue-haired genius. "You should think these things through before putting us through such lame-brained schemes."

Lita re-strapped the message she had read and let the bird go out the still-open window. "Oh, and you've never had a less than stellar idea."

"Not that I can recall." Raye smirked as she watched Lita close the window.

"Selective memory," Lita retorted.

"Guys…" Amy tried again.

"Oh! I've got an idea!" Mina shouted as she started dashing around the room, opening doors and drawers.

Lita took Mina's place on the bed. "What are you thinking?" she asked warily.

"This could be scary," Raye muttered.

They could see the blonde had an armful of something as she scurried out into the hall. She returned a minute or two later, placing a large bone every foot or so. "Here, doggy! Here, big fella!" she called as she finished her trail into the room.

"Where'd you find the bones?" Lita inquired curiously.

"Oh, they were in the closet."

"So what are they for?" Raye asked, confused.

"Well, I was thinking, Lita's plan didn't work, but maybe something like it would." Raye slapped her forehead. "So I was thinking, St. Bernards are that big breed of dog that are supposed to rescue people in trouble, so I figured I'd lure one here with these bones. Then we can strap a message to its barrel of… whatever… and get help!"

"Oh, Mina," Amy moaned as she shook her head.

Raye looked completely skeptical. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Just then, a big old St. Bernard came padding into the room following the trail of bones Mina had put out and stopped just in front of the blonde who was still kneeling on the floor at the foot of the bed. She smiled smugly at the stupefied looks on her friends' faces and reached for the barrel that was attached to the dog's collar. "You see! Now we just strap a message to the barrel here…" She trailed off as she noticed a slip of paper sticking out of the barrel. "Oh. There's already a message."

"Read it!" Raye said impatiently.

Mina unrolled the tiny piece of paper. "There's a message for you on the pigeon." She bit her lower lip as she replaced the message in the barrel and offered the dog a bone. It took it and padded off.

"You both are hopeless," Raye said into her hand as she dropped her face into it and shook her head. Mina stuck her tongue out at the priestess as she started to pick up the bones.

"Are you guys ready to listen to me now?" Amy asked politely.

"Sure, Ames. Go ahead," Lita said, surprised. Raye raised her head while Mina quickly dropped the bones back in the closet she had gotten them from and dashed back.

"As I've been trying to tell you from the beginning, we could just use our communicators and contact Luna and Artemis. Then they could contact the authorities for us." The other three scouts looked at each other for a moment then collectively smacked themselves in the foreheads.

They all waited patiently as Amy proceeded to press the cats' call button. Pained looks crossed all their faces as only static filled the air. The blue-haired scout pulled out her computer from her extra-dimensional pocket and scanned the small pink device. "Nothing's wrong with the communicator. Let me try using the Mercury computer to reach them." She typed in a few more commands and waited. "Nothing. This storm must be affecting communications."

"Is there anything you can do about it?" Mina asked.

"Not with the supplies I have on hand. We'll have to wait out the storm and try again."

"If we last that long," Raye muttered under her breath.

"I guess the only thing left to do is figure out who the killer is and stop him," Lita said forcefully.

"Or her," Mina added. Lita bowed her head in concession of the point.

"Well, there is one other thing we can do," Raye said.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"Go to sleep and worry about it in the morning." A sudden crash of thunder made everyone jump. "Well, we can try," she amended.

"Right," the others said, nervousness showing in their tone.

They proceeded to crawl under the covers and attempt to go to sleep after Lita once more turned off the light by the side of the bed.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Once they were inside their room, Serena broke free from Darien's hold and moved over to the fireplace, where she sat on the floor in front of the fire and lost herself in the dancing flames. Darien followed silently, pausing briefly to add a couple logs to the diminishing source of light before sitting beside the obviously troubled blonde.

Neither said anything for quite a while as the tongues of red, orange, and yellow began to devour the new fuel. Finally, Serena shifted position, drawing her knees up to her chin and folding her arms around them, and sighed. "I wish I could have done something."

"I know." He mimicked her position.

"If this is really about money, like the notes said, then it's even worse. I'd give up everything I'm supposed to get if only this person would stop!" Tears began to stream down her cheeks, rosy from sitting before the heat of the fire so long.

He trained his midnight blues on the girl to his left and took in the tears. They wrenched at his heart. "At this point, I don't think that would stop him." He stopped to think for a moment. "Why do I get the feeling there's more to this inheritance than we've been told?"

"What do you mean?" she gasped, turning her gaze to face him.

"Well, I can't think of any other motive that would be strong enough for murder. No one seemed to be tense or on edge when we arrived. No strained conversations. So money seems to be the only motive left."

"But no one would benefit by anyone else's death according to the will the way it was read earlier. Is that it?"

Darien smiled. "Exactly. But Doyle seemed insulted when Amy asked if he had arranged for the letters to be left for us, like she thought he hadn't done his job to completion. The only people I can be one hundred percent sure did not commit this crime are you and me."

"The girls would never do any such thing!" Serena cried indignantly.

"I was thinking the same thing," he said conciliatorily. "But as they weren't in the same room with me, I can only be ninety-nine percent sure. They aren't the types; I know that."

Serena relaxed at his reassurance. "That leaves everyone we were introduced to this afternoon."

"I… I don't think it was Eli," the petite blonde said hesitatingly.

Darien cocked his head to the side and gave her a quizzical look. "Tell me why."

"Well, first, he got the biggest inheritance. Over half again as much as the rest of us combined if I understood the figures Mr. Doyle was reciting before he got to how it was going to be divided." Darien nodded. "Second, Mr. Cunningham talked about how Eli turned down money when he really needed it to do it on his own. That suggests that he places greater worth on money he earns through his own efforts rather than that which is handed to him on a silver platter." Her dark-haired companion stared at her wide-eyed and somehow managed to nod. "Third, Mr. Cunningham said Eli had made him love him and cried. This is not a man that strikes me as easily brought to tears, and for anyone to make that kind of impression on such a jaded man he'd have to be something special." He nodded dumbly again. "Fourth, Eli cried when his great uncle did. I know it could have been an act, but something about the way it all happened seemed genuine. And lastly," here she smiled sheepishly, "I just don't think he did. I saw his eyes and I don't think I saw a killer." Her smile turned impish. "What?" she asked with a giggle.

Darien struggled to regain his composure, and, consequently, put his jaw and eyes back into place as he convinced himself of just whom he was speaking with and what she had said. "Are you sure this is the same Meatball Head that fails every other test?"

She frowned. "What about our truce?"

Darien flinched briefly. "I wasn't trying to be insulting, Serena. It's just… except for your last point, that was a very well thought out argument, and a wonderful defense. Although that last point is very you," he said with a smile. "You've obviously been hiding quite the brain under those meatballs of yours. I'd been suspecting as much, but this is concrete evidence."

Serena bit her bottom lip and smiled shyly. "Thank you," she breathed.

His smile grew wider. "Any time."

They stared at each other with undisguised tenderness for a few moments before Serena brought them back to the subject at hand. "So where does that leave Eli?"

Darien blinked a few times before responding. "I'd say he's pretty low on the list of suspects. We can't count him out completely, but he's not a very likely candidate."

"Good," Serena said with a smile. "I like him."

Darien returned the smile. "Who do we consider next? Think anyone else is innocent?"

"Well, I don't think Barrett Ward did it, but I don't have a lot of evidence to back me up. He's really old, doesn't move very fast, and obviously doesn't expect to live too much longer, if Mr. Cunningham's comment about having money to leave the grandkids and that whole thing about if he was listening to those comments he won the bet mean anything."

"It may not be a lot of evidence, but it is compelling. Someone that old really doesn't have a lot of need for money, as long as he's healthy, which Mr. Ward is. And he was talking buddy-buddy like with Dr. Blake in the dining room at dinner."

"True. I'd say put Mr. Ward toward the bottom of the list too."

"I agree." He paused as Serena yawned. "Why don't we finish this tomorrow with the girls? Amy especially will be able to help us sort through the rest of the guests." She nodded. "Go on to bed. I'll grab some of the extra blankets from the linen closet and set up camp here."

"No, you don't have to do that, Darien. The bed is plenty big enough for the both of us," Serena protested, shaking her head.

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," Darien retorted.

She smiled. "I won't. And the last thing I want is for our glorious leader to wake up with cramps and a crick in his neck from sleeping on the floor. Really, I want you to share the bed with me. That way we both sleep in comfort." She grinned impishly. "And I don't have to feel guilty."

Darien laughed and gave in. "Fine. You win. I don't want you to feel guilty either. As long as you're sure." She nodded. "Okay. Then let's get to bed."

They both climbed under the covers a bit shyly and turned off the lamps on the tables to either side of the bed.

"Good night, Darien."

"Sweet dreams, Serena."

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Raye, Amy, Mina, and Lita had actually managed to fall asleep, even though the storm that had started earlier raged on outside. Between rumblings of thunder the room was quiet, with only the sound of soft breathing to be heard.

Suddenly a gunshot rang through the empty halls, and a second later all four girls sat up ramrod straight in their bed and screamed simultaneously. "What was that?" Mina asked in a panic.

"A gunshot," Amy answered breathlessly. "That was a gunshot."

"We have to find out what happened!" Lita exclaimed.

"Right," Raye agreed.

The four of them scrambled out of bed and grabbed their robes only to run into Madam Roselle who had dashed into their room and struck a dramatic pose. "I've had another vision! Ralph, the butler, will be shot in ten minutes!"

"But we just heard a shot!" Mina refuted.

"Really?" the older lady asked, dropping her arms. She brought the wrist that held her watch up to her ear briefly. "My watch must be slow."

Raye rolled her eyes and led the others into the hall. They caught sight of a pair of golden streamers flying down the stairs followed by an ebony-haired young man and rushed after them.

The five ladies joined the couple on the stair landing where they found Ralph lying amidst the remains of a crystal vase that had been decorating the black walnut table next to his head. Amy moved forward quickly to help Darien check the fallen man. "Can you tell us what happened, Ralph?" Serena asked from where she knelt next to his head.

His brown eyes were filled with pain as he shifted his gaze to meet the sympathy-filled sapphire one of the girl to his right. "Well, I had decided to check on everyone considering what had happened earlier, and the fact that the storm was causing the electricity to flicker on and off. I had finished with the gentlemen in the North Wing and was about to start down the stairs to check on everyone in the South Wing when I thought I heard a noise coming from the linen closet at the head of the stairs. I turned to look and a flash of lightning reflected briefly off what I suppose was the barrel of a gun. I managed to duck just as the shot went off, but lost my balance and fell down the stairs."

"I hate to tell you this, Ralph, but your right leg is broken. Is there anything we can use for splints around here?" Darien asked, having finished his examination. Amy continued her own on the other leg.

"I know there's a special section of the pantry devoted to medicinal supplies, but I don't think there are any splints." The butler paused to think for a moment. "There are some long stakes Mr. Cunningham's gardener used for the tomato plants in the shed out back. Would those do?"

Darien shared a look with the blue-haired girl on the prone man's other side. She nodded. "That should be fine." He looked up at the girls to his left and men on his right. "Could a couple of you go get some of those stakes?"

"I'll do it. I know where the shed is," Eli volunteered.

"I'll go with him," Lita offered.

"And if a pair of you could get us some damp cloths to clean out these cuts and scrapes that would be most helpful," Amy added.

"I'll go," Raye said quickly.

"I'll show you to the kitchen," Kingsly said. The four volunteers left for their respective tasks.

"Well, this just goes to show you aren't old, Ralph," Barrett Ward said from his position on the stairs.

"How do you figure that?"

"If you were old, it would be your hip, not your leg, that was broken," the white-haired man finished with a chuckle.

Ralph smiled. "You may just be right, Barrett."

"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with your left side, Ralph," Amy announced. "Other than a few cuts and bruises."

He turned his head to face her and smiled. "Thank you, Miss Mizuno. And you too, Mr. Shields. I'm glad you were here to help."

"So are we," Darien responded.

"Should we move him back to his room?" Doyle asked awkwardly from his place next to Barrett Ward.

Darien shook his head. "No, not until we get those splints on him. I don't want to chance making things worse." Amy nodded in agreement.

Just then, Eli and Lita returned breathless with a handful of stakes. "Is this enough?" Eli gasped.

"Yeah, that's fine. Did you guys run all the way there and back?" Darien asked.

"Yep," Lita confirmed. "We figured it would be best to get Ralph back to his room and resting as soon as possible."

"Good thinking," Amy murmured as she helped Darien get Ralph's leg ready. "We have to make sure the bone is set so it heals properly, alright?" she asked the suffering butler. He nodded and grit his teeth.

"Eli, Lita, hold him down to be sure," Darien said as he took hold of the older man's leg.

The process was quick, and soon the splints were in place, held there by Darien and Amy's robes' waist ties. Then Eli and Darien lifted Ralph up carefully and took him back to his room, with Doyle rushing ahead to open the bedroom door for them. They had just gotten the butler settled under the covers when a loud "No!" followed by a thump reached their ears. "Oh my god, that was Raye!" Serena shouted and dashed out the door, soon followed by the rest of the walking guests.

The group rushed down the stairs and headed for the kitchen, where it sounded like the voice and thumps were coming from. Serena and Darien reached the door first and shot each other worried looks as two more "No's" and thumps went by. Darien threw open the door.

The sight that greeted them caused a collective gasp. Raye was backing away slowly as Kingsly stalked forward pulling books one at a time out of a previously unnoticed bag slung over his left shoulder. "Dining Out In Greenland?"

"No!" Raye shouted, annoyed, with another step back. Thud.

"Philadelphia, Where To Find It?"

"No!" Thud.

As the last book hit the floor, Raye took one last step back into Serena and Darien, who were staring silently in shock. The dark-haired priestess turned, took in the sight of everyone staring at her, and threw herself into Serena's arms. "I never thought I would be so happy to see you, Meatball Head!"

Serena just numbly put her arms around her friend and patted her back, while Darien stared blankly at the girls.

"Alright, Kingsly," Amy said as she stepped forward with a slight smile on her face. Kingsly finally noticed the crowd and grinned sheepishly. "The chapter's over."


	4. Chapter 4

Sailor See, Sailor Die - Chapter Four  
A Fic Challenge Response by Una Moonstar

ANs: Thanks one more time to all my faithful readers out there, and more special thanks to those of you reviewing. Enjoy the latest installment!

_(fade out...)_

_(begin chapter...)_

Serena and Darien finally made their way back to their room after taking the rags Raye and Kingsly had gathered before the author's inquisition and cleaning Ralph's wounds. The ebony-haired young man watched his blonde roommate closely as she trudged toward the bed. She seemed to flinch with every step. "Are you okay, Serena?"

She stopped, startled, and turned to face him. "Yeah, I think so. I'm just tired and my knees are sore."

His eyes widened as he automatically looked at the source of her discomfort. "Serena, your knees are bleeding!" He dashed forward and picked the surprised girl up, taking her over to one of the chairs by the fireplace. He stoked the fire and added a couple of logs, then grabbed the various medical supplies he had left over from treating the butler from where he had dropped them by the door. He paused as he returned. "Um, you're going to have to take your pajama bottoms off," he said with a blush.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she watched him, blushing as well.

Darien put down his armload and grabbed the thin crocheted throw blanket from the love seat facing the fire. "Here," he said, handing the petite blonde the blanket. "I'll turn my back while you take them off and cover yourself with this."

Once he had fulfilled his part of the deal, Serena painfully fulfilled hers. She covered her thighs and cleared her throat. "I'm done, Darien," she said quietly, still blushing furiously.

He turned around and knelt in front of her. He looked closely at the exposed skin and hissed lightly. "You have some glass shards in your knees. You really didn't feel them before?" He stood up and started for the bathroom.

"No. I guess I was too busy concentrating on Ralph, and then Raye screamed… My knees were the least of my concerns." She paused as Darien opened the bathroom door. "What are you looking for?"

"Tweezers," was the response. "I have to get that glass out of your knees. Where did it come from, anyway?"

Serena thought for a moment. "I guess it's from that broken vase on the landing. I didn't even think about it when I knelt down; I was only thinking of Ralph and how much pain he must be in."

The rummaging sounds in the bathroom's medicine cabinet stopped. Darien turned toward Serena, unnoticed by the girl, and gazed at her in wonder. He knew she was generous and giving, but that much? It made him hope this truce would last all the more.

Serena fiddled with the fringe of the blanket in her lap while she waited for Darien's return. When the sound of rummaging started up again an idea struck her. "Darien, wait! Get me my backpack!"

"Why?"

"I think I have a pair of tweezers as part of my nail kit."

Darien silently stepped back into the bedroom and just looked at Serena. "Nail kit?"

The blonde blushed. "Yeah, well… my mom bought it for me for Christmas last year. I was fine with my clippers and emery board."

He nodded. "Okay." He grabbed her backpack and brought it over.

"Thanks," she mumbled, quickly opening the bag and digging through its contents. "Here it is." She pulled out a small, pink billfold-shaped item and unsnapped it. She handed the young man once again kneeling in front of her the tweezers.

He shook his head as he accepted them. "Girls," he muttered under his breath. Then he focused his attention on extracting the glass pieces from the delicate skin of the young beauty before him, putting forth his best effort to keep it as painless as possible. Every flinch she made caused him to wince in response.

Finally he was done, and he turned his attention to cleaning out the wounds. He took a rag and the rubbing alcohol and set himself. "This is going to hurt. I'll try to be quick."

Serena clenched her teeth as the alcohol stung the cuts. Darien was true to his word and was done quickly. He then bandaged her knees with the remaining gauze and packed everything else up. "Is that it?" she asked softly.

He smiled at her gently. "Yeah. Surprisingly enough, nothing was too deep. You'll be fine soon."

"That's good," she whispered as she met his midnight blue gaze.

They lost themselves in each other's eyes for a while before a loud pop from the fireplace snapped them out of their trance. They both blushed and looked away. "Um, do you have anything else to wear? Since the knees are torn…"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I think I packed a pair of white sweats in my overnight bag, on the floor of the wardrobe." Serena gestured to the large piece of black walnut furniture against the wall behind her.

"Right." Darien retrieved the piece of clothing and turned his back once again as she changed into them. "Are you ready for bed then?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah." Darien merely nodded and picked Serena up off the chair and carried her to the bed.

"Darien! What are you doing?" she screeched as she clung to his neck tightly.

He groaned inwardly at the close contact and sighed. "Taking you to bed, what does it look like?"

"Oh."

He placed her into the unmade bed and covered her up gently. "Try to get to sleep. And let me know if your knees start bothering you at all."

"I will," she whispered as he went around to the other side of the bed and crawled in. "Good night."

"Good night, Serena." He turned off his bedside lamp.

She leaned over slightly and did the same. After a moment of silence, she sighed. "Darien?"

"Yes?"

"Were you as scared as you sounded when you saw my knees?" She wanted to kick herself for the question, but couldn't get the look on his face out of her mind.

Darien closed his eyes and swallowed forcefully at the question. He gathered his wits before answering. "Actually I was. I didn't know what had happened to you."

Serena's ears barely caught the whisper. "Wow."

"I don't like to see you hurt."

"Thank you."

Darien sighed. "How can you thank me? I hurt you all the time."

Serena's shrug was unseen in the darkness. "Only every now and again. And I don't think you mean to. I guess I knew it was always just a game between us."

"I'm sorry for the times I've hurt you."

"And I'm sorry for the times I've hurt you. I know I have. I saw it in your eyes."

"You did?" Darien asked incredulously as he turned his head to face her.

"Yeah. That's why I left so suddenly sometimes."

He watched the faint light from the fire play gently on her features. "My god, Serena. I didn't think anyone ever looked that closely. Why did you?"

Serena continued to stare at the canopy above their heads. "Your eyes are what told me everything was a game. That was how I could tell the score. I always knew when to quit by watching the sparkle. You have too good a poker face otherwise."

"But that doesn't tell me why."

Her eyes closed at the seriousness in his tone. "I never wanted things to go too far; I never wanted to hurt you. It was a game. I knew you weren't really a jerk or anything else I called you; I watched the way you interacted with Andrew and the other girls. I even saw it in your eyes from time to time. I guess reading people is a gift of mine."

"You just didn't want to hurt me?" He couldn't believe that was the only reason.

"Well, yes. At first, anyway."

Darien just caught the second sentence. "At first? What about later?"

"You're my friend, Darien. You don't hurt your friends. Especially when they're as special as you are." Tears began to fall from her closed lids. He was getting too close to the truth about her feelings!

His shadow hid the watery trail from his sight, but Darien did notice the tenseness in her form. Hope flared in his chest; his little ray of sunshine cared about him! "I think you're special, too. I really look forward to seeing you every day."

His gently whispered statements caused her eyelids to squeeze shut even tighter. "Don't play with me now, Darien."

"I'm not playing. Serena, look at me. You'll see I'm not playing."

"I… I can't," she breathed.

"Why not?" he asked just as quietly.

"Then you'll be able to see me."

He smiled and decided to take a chance. "Is that all?" he asked softly and turned her head toward him. She gasped and her eyes sprung open. His smile grew wider as he noticed the raw emotion in the sapphire gaze and lowered his lips to hers.

It was like electricity shot through both of them at the intimate contact. They were both lost immediately in the surge of emotions that flowed between them, intertwining their souls and igniting their passion. But before things could go too far, Darien pulled away and stared down at Serena breathlessly. His darkened eyes searched hers desperately, hoping he hadn't just made a huge mistake.

Serena smiled at his anxious expression and reached up to caress his cheek. "That was wonderful. I've been dreaming of that for the longest time."

Darien's eyes widened in shock. "Really?" Serena nodded. His gaze softened as he returned the caress. "So have I." He came down for another brief kiss, then they snuggled up together and fell asleep. Both had the sweetest of dreams.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Morning came without incident. A thick fog muted the early sun and lent an eerie atmosphere to the surroundings. "You can't even see to the edge of the courtyard," Serena murmured from the glass balcony doors of the girls' room where the five scouts and Darien had gathered.

"Creepy," Mina agreed as she joined the shorter blonde.

"Well, I'd have to agree with your assessment of Eli and Mr. Ward," Amy said from her seat on the edge of the bed. "They do seem unlikely as suspects. And of course the four of us have alibis; we were together at the time of the murder, as were you and Serena."

Darien nodded. "We need a motive. That's the one thing I can't figure out."

Raye shrugged. "Money. Like you said, that's the only thing that makes sense since no one around here seems to harbor any bad feelings toward anyone else." She shifted a bit in her position leaning against the curtained doorway to the sitting area.

"Hey, Serena," Lita called from where she sat Indian style on the floor by the window she had opened the night before for the pigeon. "Why are you wearing those white sweats? What happened to your pajama bottoms?"

Serena looked at her brunette friend and smiled. "It seems I knelt in the broken crystal vase last night when I was trying to help Ralph. I cut up my bottoms and my knees. The sweats just gave me something to wear with the top."

"Oh, okay. Just wondering."

Darien stopped his pacing in the center of the room at the impish expression on Lita's face, the one that seemed to also be mirrored on the other residents of the bedroom. "I turned away when she changed. What kind of guy do you think I am?"

Raye shrugged again. "A typical one."

Mina's expression turned evil. "So are you trying to tell us that you didn't even attempt to sneak a peek?"

"Mina!"

"Oh, can it, Meatball Head. Can't you see we're trying to defend your honor?"

The petite blonde scoffed. "Oh, please, Raye. You're just trying to get some juicy gossip. Nothing happened."

"Uh huh. Sure. You were alone in that bedroom all night, and nothing happened. With the chemistry you two have?"

"Mina!" Amy admonished as the couple in question blushed. "That's enough! We really need to figure out what's going on here before someone else is injured or dies." Her dark blue eyes twinkled. "Save this interrogation for later."

"Amy!" Serena cried, shocked.

"She's right," Darien interrupted, his cheeks still flaming. "Let's get back to business before we have to go down for breakfast."

"Well, we know it's not the six of us, and it's probably not Eli or Barrett Ward. What do we do with that information?" Raye questioned.

"Watch the others. It's all we can do until we can figure out what else to do." Darien shrugged.

A knock at the door cut the conversation short. "Breakfast is ready, ladies," the voice of one of the serving maids from the evening before called from the other side of the bedroom door. Without waiting for a response, soft footsteps faded away down the hall.

"I guess that's our cue," Mina said quietly.

"Good, because I'm hungry," Serena said and led the way down to breakfast.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

The meal, like the dawn, was uneventful. It had been a tad gruesome to see Dr. Blake's place set out like nothing had happened, but beyond that nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. That fact sent shivers of nerves up and down the spines of the six teenagers that had decided to solve the mystery surrounding this place.

They all gathered in the drawing room after breakfast to discuss the events of the night before. Darien sat on the library desk and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Okay. We all know what happened last night, so I'm not going to rehash the details. What we need to do now is figure out who did it and why. Anyone have any ideas?"

"Now look here, young man. Why are you presuming to take charge of this case? It may have been necessary last night when everything was so hectic, but now that we've all had a good night's sleep to calm down, I think one of your elders would be better qualified to take the lead." Harris Kingsly puffed himself up proudly at the end of his speech, and it was obvious whom he had in mind for the position.

Darien's eyebrow shot up as everyone else rolled his or her eyes. "No offense, Mr. Kingsly, but I think the questions asked should delve deeper than whether or not any of us has read your books."

The girls stifled giggles at the comment while the adults smiled at the outraged expression on the author's face. "Well, I never!"

Darien sighed. "Look, I'm not power-hungry or anything. It just seems like I've stepped into this role, and I might as well keep it. If something else happens we can't afford to have the person in charge lose their head, and I've already proven I can keep mine. I just want the rest of us to leave this island alive. There's a murderer among us, and we need to find them as soon as possible."

"How do we know it wasn't you?" Madam Roselle asked meekly from her position on the chair she had occupied during the reading of the will.

Serena gasped as Darien turned his midnight-blue gaze to the older woman. "You don't, but I can assure you I was following the instructions I was given in Mr. Cunningham's will. I was with Serena at all times last night."

"That's right; he was!" Serena said quickly in support. "Besides, you stopped us all in the hallway on our way down to check out the gunshot! Darien was right behind me!"

Madam Roselle paused to think for a moment. "That's right; I remember now." She looked up. "Sorry about that."

"It was a perfectly understandable accusation. Unfortunately, that's the kind of mentality we need to some degree. One of us is a killer. Unless someone else wants to die, you have to question everything. And please don't get offended by questions. We need to figure out what's going on."

Everyone proceeded to take seats, except for Serena who chose to stand next to Darien by the library table. "Well, fire away, young man. Start your inquisition," Barrett Ward said with a smile, tugging at the collar of his red dress shirt as he shifted uncomfortably in the chair next to the desk between the portraits.

Kingsly also shifted around in the seat he had occupied during the will reading. "Yes. Do."

The ebony-haired young man scanned the room. Mr. Ward, in his red dress shirt and black slacks by the far desk; Kingsly in his brown terrycloth robe and slippers and white-and-brown-checkered pajamas sitting closest to him; Madam Roselle, her dark hair in large curlers, wearing a purple robe over a floral print flannel gown in the chair on the other side of the table next to the disgruntled author; Hewett Doyle in a black silk robe open over a matching set of pajamas and Eli Cunningham in a green bath robe over a darker green T-shirt and gray shorts made of a thin sweatshirt material on the love seat across from him; Mina in an yellow robe over a orange set of pajamas, Lita in a light green robe over pink pajamas with a dark green trim, Amy in a navy blue robe and slippers over an ice blue flannel gown, and Raye in a thick black robe over a deep purple silk gown on the sofa to his right; and Serena standing beside him in her pink bunny pajama top and white sweatpants. His own midnight blue silk pajamas were a dark contrast to the petite blonde. One of these people killed one man and injured another. Now to figure out who before someone else fell victim to the overwhelming greed – if that theory was right, of course.

"Are there any quarrels going on amongst any of you? Or with Dr. Blake or Ralph?" Blank looks were his response. "Okay, guess not. Is there some secret that Mr. Cunningham… took to his grave shall we say? Something that would inspire someone to kill?" The occupants of the room looked at each other questioningly and shook their heads no. "I'm looking for a motive here, folks. There's a reason for what's happened here. We have to find it."

Before anyone could respond, Barrett Ward grasped at his throat, tearing his shirt open, and making barely audible choking noises before collapsing to the floor in a heap. Darien and Amy flew to his side, trying mouth-to-mouth and eventually CPR. After ten minutes or so, the two teenagers looked at each other, stricken yet resigned. Amy closed the older man's eyelids and took note of the time on the mantle clock that sat on top of the roll-top desk.

Serena rushed over to Darien as he stood and stepped away from the body. He absently draped his arm around her shoulders and she squeezed him, for her own comfort as well as his. She couldn't believe this; it couldn't be happening. But it was.

Darien had a strange taste in his mouth after administering mouth-to-mouth to the dying man. He wasn't exactly sure what it was but he knew he needed to find out. "Does anyone know if there's a medical encyclopedia around here? Preferably in easy reach."

Eli mutely nodded and moved from where he had stood in front of the love seat at the start of the commotion to one of the bookshelves. He glanced over the spines for a moment then pulled out a thick volume and handed it to the young man in charge. Darien quickly flipped through the first half of the book then stopped as he found what he was looking for. His eyes scanned over the words and he nodded. The book snapped shut and Darien took long strides that took him speedily to the dining room, where not all the dishes had been cleared away. He snatched a half-full water glass and swished out his mouth, spitting it out when he was done.

He reentered the drawing room with narrow eyes. "Barrett Ward died of food poisoning if my taste buds do not deceive me. We have another murder on our hands."

Serena gasped and brought her hands to her mouth, which pretty much mirrored the response of the rest of the room's inhabitants. "What are we going to do?" the petite blonde asked in a barely audible whisper.

Darien's hard gaze softened as he looked at her. "Same thing we were going to do before, Serena. Find the killer." He looked around the room. "It's just all the more urgent now."

She nodded and turned to face the others. "Can anyone think of a reason two people are dead and one is injured?"

Everyone looked at everyone else. "Could… could it be money?" Madam Roselle asked meekly.

The five teenage girls and their dark-haired compatriot shot each other quick looks. "We can't be sure. We've only known you for a little over twelve hours," Serena responded.

"The will didn't say anything about other people getting our money if we died; what's the point?" Eli asked, bewildered.

"Wait a minute," Doyle said in sudden realization. "The will said you get the remainder of the estate. You'd get all the money not able to be claimed by the other heirs."

Eli's eyes widened in horror as the implications of that statement sank in. "I… I didn't kill anyone! I never even thought of such a thing!" He took a few steps back as accusing stares came from the adults in the room.

"Nothing has been proven," Darien reminded everyone. "So no lynchings, please." He walked over and placed his hand on Eli's shoulder to stop the green-haired man's retreat.

"I didn't do it, I swear," Eli pleaded as he stared into Darien's midnight blues.

"We'll see," was the response as Darien gazed deeply into the forest greens before him. Eli was a little startled by the subtle wink he was given. "Now I say we go back to our rooms and get dressed and ready for the day. Could someone place Mr. Ward into the freezer?"

"Eli and I will take care of it, Darien," Lita said with a bright smile to the shaken young man. Darien nodded as the two went over to take care of the latest body.

"Aren't you afraid you'll be alone with the murderer, young lady?" Kingsly asked as the two passed him.

Lita shot the author an evil glare. "No, I'm not. Besides, if he killed me now, he'd just confirm that he was the killer. Not very smart, wouldn't you say?"

The adults all looked uncomfortable at the tall brunette's question. They grumbled a bit amongst themselves while the body was removed then retired to their rooms to follow Darien's advice. After they were gone the remaining teenagers looked at one another. "Doyle had a point, Darien. Eli has motive," Amy said reluctantly.

Darien's brows furrowed. "Unfortunately. But I can't seem to shake the feeling that he's innocent."

Serena nodded vigorously. "Same here."

"That's all fine and dandy, you guys, but that doesn't eliminate his motive. We have to look at the facts," Raye said forcefully.

"Well, he has motive. Did he have opportunity?" Mina asked thoughtfully.

Darien sighed. "Same as everyone else, I suppose. I wonder how our culprit slipped the poison into Ward's food this morning? We didn't get served until we were all at the table."

Amy thought for a moment. "What if it wasn't the food, but the dishes or silverware that were poisoned? That could be accomplished quickly and silently without anyone noticing. Our places were set; anyone could have seen where he was sitting and anointed the appropriate setting."

The ebony-haired young man nodded. "That's probably it, Amy. Now, how do we find out who had access to poison, and is a pretty good shot with a gun? No one is going to admit to that kind of thing."

Amy shot a quick look at her fellow scouts and cleared her throat. "We should probably just ask general questions about their backgrounds, questions that will give us the answers we need without being too revealing."

"Like what?" Serena asked.

"What are your hobbies? Where do you like to spend your leisure time? Where did you go to school and what did you study?" Amy shrugged.

"I like to read fantasy novels, ride my motorcycle, listen to all kinds of music, and paint. I like to take long rides alone on my bike and go clubbing. I attended Stanford University with a major in Botany and a minor in Theater. I hate guns and am a lousy shot. I was kicked off the archery team in high school for my nonexistent aim."

Everyone jumped at the sound of Eli Cunningham's voice from the doorway. "I suppose I could have come up with the poison, if it was herbally based." He shrugged. "But I didn't." The green-haired man gazed at the teenagers carefully. "I swear to you all I didn't. I never even realized that I would get all the extra money."

Serena stepped forward and gazed directly into the forest green eyes. She seemed to be searching for something deep within the man. Slowly she smiled. "I believe you, Eli. Now we'll just prove your innocence."

Darien looked at the meatball-headed blonde quizzically. "Are you sure about that?" he whispered in her ear as he came up to stand beside her next to the sofa.

She gazed calmly at him. "Yes. Completely."

Raye smiled at the unusually calm demeanor of her leader. "If you're that sure, Meatball Head, we'll do it." The other girls nodded in agreement.

Darien just shot the girls a strange look and shrugged. "Well, now that that's settled why don't we go upstairs and change?"

The others nodded in agreement and made their way to their rooms to do just that.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

After Serena entered their bedroom, Darien grabbed Raye's arm before she could follow the other three girls into her own. "Why?" he asked shortly.

Violet eyes blinked. "Why what?"

"Why did you girls just go along with Serena? Amy just pointed out a major motive for Eli, and you all let it go. Why?" Darien looked truly confused.

Raye smiled. "You saw the way Serena looked into Eli's eyes? Almost like she was looking for something?" The ebony-haired young man nodded, fighting back the surge of jealousy at the memory. "Well, she was. I don't know if you've realized this yet, but Serena has an incredible knack for reading people. I'd even hazard to say she's somewhat psychic. I mean, how else do you think the five of us got so close? We were alone until that Meatball Head came along and found that certain something within each of us." Darien blinked at the implication of the priestess' words. They were alone until Serena…

"Serena was looking – for the truth I suppose – and she found what she was looking for. She says he's innocent. So he is. I know I don't feel any evil intentions coming from him. But I'm willing to trust her assessment. Not that we won't watch him anyway, but now we can put our main focus somewhere else." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Now go change, oh glorious leader, before people start to worry over your delayed arrival." With that, she grinned and entered her bedroom.

Darien blinked a few times before following her example, and ended up closing the door behind him with an amused smile on his face. Serena stood next to the bed in a pair of short white socks and a long white dress shirt that hung to the middle of her thighs with a wide collar and long, translucent, puffy sleeves.

She spun to face him when she heard the door shut. "What do you think, Darien?" She held up a long light purple skirt and wide matching belt. "This one or…" She tossed them on the bed and picked up a pair of ice blue dress slacks and another matching belt. "This set?"

He gave her his quirky grin. "You do realize you aren't wearing anything on your legs, right?" He found himself discretely examining those legs.

Serena shrugged. "It's not like you didn't see them last night. Now which one should I wear?"

"The skirt," Darien replied as he walked toward the bed. "There's less chance of it bothering your bandages."

"You have a point. Thanks!" She turned to take up the skirt again when Darien finished closing the space between them and took her in his arms. "Darien!" she gasped, dropping the decided-on piece of clothing.

"I'm not alone anymore, am I?" he whispered, searching her eyes as he held her close.

"What? Alone?" Darien nodded. "What about Andrew?"

"He's a great friend, but I still felt… separated from everybody else. Alone. But with you, I don't." Darien chuckled ruefully. "Gods, Serena," he declared as he pulled the golden blonde even closer, "I've never, ever felt this way before – part of life, not watching from the outside. At least, not that I remember." He whispered his last statement into her hair.

Serena gasped at the intensity of his admission. But his soft words in her hair caught her attention the most. "What do you mean, that you remember?" she asked gently.

The ebony-haired young man tensed. He hadn't meant for her to hear that. He pulled back to look in Serena's sapphire blues. After searching them, Darien found himself speaking without intending to. "My parents and I were in a car accident on my sixth birthday. They died and I woke up with complete amnesia. So I grew up in an orphanage."

Serena swallowed and tried not to gasp. "I thought I heard you had an apartment."

Darien nodded. "I do. I guess my parents left me some money. I get checks for the interest on a trust account in my name."

"And that let you get out early?"

"Yeah," Darien confirmed, resigned.

A soft smile crept onto Serena's face. "I'm glad. That way I got to meet you. I'm sorry about your parents though," she finished earnestly.

Midnight blue eyes once again searched the blonde's face. Darien suddenly realized how he felt about this living ray of sunshine and knew he could no longer deny it to himself. He loved her. He loved her completely. And contrary to his expectations, the knowledge filled him with overwhelming joy. In celebration, he lowered his head and caught her lips in a passionate kiss.

Serena had been caught completely off guard by the move, but was quick to respond. She brought her hands up to tangle her fingers in the strands of black silk atop his head, which only caused Darien to groan and hold her tighter. He deepened the kiss, encouraging her to part her lips. She complied, and soon they were delving into each other, tasting with abandon.

Darien's mouth moved from her lips, trailing hot kisses along her cheek and jaw line to the tender, milky-white skin of her throat as she allowed herself to fall back onto the bed. "Oh, gods, Serena," he whispered hoarsely between kisses as he started to reach for the buttons of her blouse. "I need you. I need you so much."

Serena reveled in the fantasy come true as she responded breathlessly. "I need you too, Darien. I need you too."

Darien's lips had reached Serena's collarbone and he was two buttons short of being able to get the soft material out of his way completely when a loud knock at the door made him pause. Serena grabbed his face and brought it down to her own. "They'll go away," she whispered before locking lips with him once again.

The knock turned into a pounding. "You're too polite, Amy," Lita's voice said from the other side. "Serena? Darien? Are you guys okay? We're supposed to meet everyone downstairs now."

"Come on, Meatball Head!" Raye's voice snapped.

Meanwhile, the pair inside the room was scrambling to make themselves presentable. Serena's fingers were fumbling to button up her shirt while Darien grabbed an outfit and was rushing toward the bathroom to change.

"Okay, guys, if you aren't going to come out, we'll just have to come in!" Mina called out as she jiggled the doorknob.

"No!" Serena and Darien cried in unison before the ebony-haired young man dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him, and the petite blonde yanked on the previously forgotten purple skirt.

Outside the door, three of the four girls standing there shared knowing, evil smiles. Amy just blushed. "I suppose we can just meet them downstairs, now that we know they're getting ready," the blue-haired genius said, embarrassed for the pair.

"Are you nuts?" Raye asked incredulously as a loud thump was heard from within. "This is the most entertainment I've had all weekend!"

"I know I'm not moving," Lita declared. "I can't wait to see them when they open the door."

Mina was staring blankly at the thick wood that stood between her and the pair inside. Her expression was nearly euphoric. "I… I just want to confirm it," the blonde said softly.

"What are you talking about?" Raye asked, confused by the normally bubbly blonde's response.

Before Mina could answer, the door to the master bedroom flew open and Darien and Serena stood there fully dressed and breathing heavily. "Satisfied?" the young man asked exasperatedly.

Lita and Raye snickered behind their hands and Amy turned a deeper shade of red. Mina on the other hand gasped and grinned from ear to ear. She quickly wrapped the shocked Serena in a bear hug. "I'm so happy for you!" the taller blonde whispered into her captive's ear. "Fill me in later, okay?" With that, she pulled back, gave Darien a quick knowing grin and wink, and proceeded to skip off down the hall toward the stairs.

The remaining five people just blinked as they watched the red bow bounce away. "All in favor of just ignoring that little incident?" Raye asked, her tone a bit bewildered. Everyone raised a hand. "It's unanimous. Let's go." The quintet made their way downstairs.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Nearly everyone was present in the drawing room when Darien and the girls arrived. "Okay," the ebony-haired young man began after taking a quick head count, "where's Kingsly?"

"I haven't seen him since we went upstairs earlier," Madam Roselle said quickly. Eli and Doyle shrugged and shook their heads.

"How long have you three been waiting?" Amy asked.

"Twenty minutes," Doyle snapped. "I didn't think it took over half an hour to change clothes."

Serena bit her bottom lip and began to blush as Darien bristled and put an arm around her shoulders. "Back off, Doyle. That's not the issue here. We'd better check his room and make sure our resident author is all right."

"Did you all come down alone?" Lita asked Eli as the group made their way upstairs.

"Actually, I ran into Doyle on my way down. We both left our rooms at the same time. Roselle came in maybe five minutes later."

"And we were pretty much all together…" Mina mused from behind the pair as they all reached Kingsly's room.

"Mr. Kingsly?" Darien called out as he knocked on the bedroom door. "Is everything okay?"

There was a collective gasp as the door swung inward, revealing an unmade bed, a brown robe in a heap on the floor, an open window, and no Kingsly. Serena moved forward quickly and immediately brought her hands to her mouth to muffle a shriek.

"Serena!" Darien cried, rushing forward to take her in his arms. "What's wrong?"

The petite blonde pointed to an area that had been concealed by the half-open door as the others stepped inside. There, on the floor near the large wardrobe, was a sizable blood-red stain in the carpet, and it looked relatively fresh. Amy stepped over and crouched down to touch it. She gave Darien a nod after checking the fluid on her fingertips.

The ebony-haired young man sighed. "Well, folks," he said as he held Serena closer, "it looks like we just might have another murder on our hands."


	5. Chapter 5

Sailor See, Sailor Die - Chapter Five  
A Fic Challenge Response by Una Moonstar

ANs: Hmm, only one guess so far as to the murderer... Guess I'll just have to give you the next chapter... Enjoy! And thanks for reading!

_(fade out...)_

_(begin chapter...)_

"What do you mean, 'might'?" Doyle snapped from where he stood behind the others. "What else do you think a pool of blood means?"

"There's no body, Mr. Doyle," Serena replied softly before Darien could. "We can't be sure until we see a body."

"Not that it looks good, mind you," Darien added. "But the last thing we can afford to do is jump to conclusions."

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but it still leaves one unanswered question," Raye said, putting her hands on her hips.

"What's that?" Lita asked.

"Where's the body?" Madam Roselle questioned quietly. Everyone turned to look at her. "Dead or alive I mean," she clarified as she blushed.

"The woman's got a point," Doyle said, frustrated. "Got an answer to _that_ one, bright boy?"

"Unfortunately, no," Darien said through gritted teeth.

Serena moved slowly out of the frustrated young man's arms and to the open window. Unaware of the others watching her intently, the petite blonde swallowed nervously and poked her head out. What she saw as she looked down caused her to release a sigh of relief. "He's not there," she said softly as she drew back into the room and turned to face the others.

"Oh, thank goodness," Madam Roselle said expansively, raising a hand somewhat dramatically to her chest. Raye rolled her eyes.

"Maybe someone should check on Ralph," Eli said hesitantly. "I mean, he's been all alone since the cook brought down his breakfast dishes and someone was up here doing something to Kingsly."

"I'll do it!" Mina volunteered and dashed out of the room.

"There's no sign of a struggle," Darien said thoughtfully, moving closer to the large stain in the carpet. "So Kingsly had to have been taken by surprise."

"And they had to move fast," Amy added. "We may have been late arriving, but Mr. Doyle said they had been waiting for at least twenty minutes. That's not a lot of time to do this and rejoin the rest without raising suspicions."

"Guys, you're not going to believe this!" Mina cried as she rejoined the others. "Ralph's gone! There was another puddle of blood and the bedsheets were all over the place!"

"Oh, I believe it alright," Raye said as she rolled her eyes once again. "The way this weekend has gone so far I'd believe just about anything."

"Alright," Darien said firmly, getting everyone's attention. "Ralph and Kingsly might still be on the grounds somewhere. If they are, they're injured and in need of help. I think we should split up into small groups and search the property."

"I am _not_ leaving this house," Doyle said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest. "If this murderer isn't one of us, he's more than likely outside. I'm not about to give him a free opportunity to kill me."

The ebony-haired young man rolled his eyes and was about to snap back at the pompous lawyer when Serena spoke up. "Alright, Mr. Doyle. If that's how you feel, then why don't you search the house while the rest of us break up into pairs? One pair can check the gardens in front of the house, one the gardens behind, one the servants' house, and one the area right around the house." She looked around with bright sapphire blue eyes. "I think that covers everyone. What do you guys think?"

Doyle, Roselle, and Eli glanced at each other while Darien looked down on her with pride and the girls just stared in shock. "I think that things would be a lot easier at home if you took charge like that more often," Raye said once she recovered. Serena gave her a wink.

"I think that should work," Eli said approvingly. "So what's the pairings?"

"I'll go with Raye," Madam Roselle said quickly. "I have a feeling we'll work well together." The priestess rolled her eyes one more time.

"Eli and I already proved _we_ make a good pair," Lita said, stars in her eyes. The other four girls rolled their eyes as the tall brunette latched onto the green-haired man's arm.

Darien cleared his throat. "Okay then, it looks like that leaves Amy and Mina as a pair since Serena and I are supposed to spend all our time together this weekend." _That and I have absolutely _no _intention of letting her out of my sight when she's obviously in danger_, he added mentally.

Mina shrugged. "Works for me. Where do we go?"

Their leader thought about it for a moment as he scratched his chin. "Why don't the two of you check the servants' house? And while you're there, go ahead and tell them not to come to the main house until we have this whole thing solved. I don't want any of them to get hurt accidentally, and I think we're all capable of getting ourselves what we need."

"Of course," Amy agreed with a nod.

"Eli and Lita, you check the gardens in front and Raye and Madam Roselle can check the back. Serena and I will check the immediate grounds. Mr. Doyle, if anything should happen, make some noise. Chances are, with Serena and I so close, we'll hear it and be able to come quickly. Does anyone have any objections?" Everyone looked at the attorney.

He scowled at them. "No, I don't have any objections. Let's get this over with."

Darien nodded. "I agree. Let's meet back in the drawing room in two hours. That should give everyone enough time to do a thorough search. Am I right, Eli?"

"I'd say so," Eli agreed. "At least thorough enough that we can find two injured people. Otherwise we'd need more time. It may not look like it, but there's a lot of land here."

"Point taken. Let's go, folks."

Everyone did as requested, filing out of Kingsly's bedroom at Darien's gesture. Doyle stayed behind, silently watching them leave.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Eli and Lita made their way into the maze of gardens in front of the large mansion. "Why are these things set up like this?" the brunette asked as they followed one of the numerous paths.

"Wind breaker. The weather tends to come from either the east or the west, thus the gardens in the front and back of the house."

Lita nodded. "Makes sense."

They chatted about random subjects for another half hour or so before Eli stopped in his tracks and released a frustrated breath. "This is just not going to cut it. We'll never cover all this ground in the amount of time we have. Do you have a watch?"

Lita held up her left wrist, revealing a dainty silver bracelet with a dangling watch. "Sure do. What are you thinking?"

The green-haired man looked at his own watch. "We have about an hour and a half. I was thinking we could split up to be able to cover the entire garden. I forgot about the maze of paths that ran through it."

"But Darien said to stick together."

"It's that or we won't be able to check the entire garden. I'm sorry, Lita, but I think this is the only way."

Lita bit her lower lip as she considered it. She could take care of herself, couldn't she? "Oh, alright. What time are we supposed to meet in the drawing room?"

"One o'clock if Darien's two hours are to be followed." He winked and smiled. "Don't worry. Everything will be okay."

The tall brunette glanced at her watch before responding. "I know. I guess I'll meet you in the drawing room then?" She smiled shyly.

"Why don't we meet in front of the garden before going inside? That way we'll both know the other one is safe."

"Works for me. See you then!" The two then walked off in separate directions.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

"So, Raye, tell me about the Sacred Fire," Madam Roselle said eagerly as the pair headed out a back door toward the back gardens.

"What exactly do you expect me to say?" the raven-haired priestess said through clenched teeth, determined to control her temper at least until they were done searching.

"Well, how do you do it? How do you tell fortunes from watching the flames?"

Raye sighed. "It has a lot to do with the Shinto religion, actually. My grandfather is the priest at the Hikawa Jinga, or shrine, otherwise known as the Cherry Hill Temple. I have been following in his path."

"Oh," Roselle said sympathetically as they started along the garden paths, "I guess that means you've lost your parents if you're living with your grandfather. I'm so sorry."

The girl stopped dead in her tracks. "Actually, my mother died when I was eight years old of cancer. My father is a politician and doesn't really have time to raise me. So I live with my grandfather, which I infinitely prefer to whatever lifestyle my father could offer. Are there any more nosy questions you'd like to ask?" Her voice had risen to a shout. "Maybe regarding my virginity? By the way, yes, I am a virgin!" Madam Roselle stood there completely shell-shocked as Raye finally got control of her temper. "Now, to keep me from biting your head off anymore, I suggest we split up and meet back here in two hours before returning to the drawing room. I'll go this way." The girl spun and took off to the left. Madam Roselle merely blinked, watched where the girl had disappeared from for a few moments, and turned to search in the other direction.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Amy and Mina looked up at the old, two-story building that stood to the southeast of the mansion. "Can you believe this is just the servants' quarters?" Mina asked incredulously.

"It is awfully hard to believe, isn't it?" Amy concurred. "But we better get this over with. It looks like there's a lot of space to cover in less than two hours."

"Right."

The two girls stepped up to the front door and knocked. Soon afterward it opened to reveal a pale, blonde young woman dressed in a gray sweatshirt and white stretch pants. She gulped when she saw who was standing in the doorway. "Can... can I help you, ladies?"

Amy and Mina glanced at each other briefly at the sound of fear in the lady's tone, recognizing her as one of the serving maids from breakfast that morning. "Actually, yes," Amy said gently. "Can we come in?"

The shaking blonde nodded and stepped inside, allowing the girls to step into the entryway. "What are you so afraid of?" Mina asked once the door had been shut behind her.

"You aren't going to ask us back to the house, are you? Because we already agreed that we aren't going to, no matter what. We know what happened to Dr. Blake and Mr. Ward. And we know that Ralph got hurt too. So until whichever one of you is doing this stops hurting people, not a single servant is coming near the place! There's not enough money in the entire estate!"

Both girls had stepped back from the tirade, even as they noticed the other servants' heads poking out from what they guessed was the living room. Amy was the first to recover her composure. "Well, yes, of course. Actually, we were going to tell you all to stay here until after we found the killer and stopped him or her. We can take care of ourselves in the meantime."

The woman blinked. "Really? Well, that's alright then. Was there anything else?"

"Um, we need to check the house for..." Mina paused to think for a moment. "Well, to see if whoever is doing this hid something here, maybe something that would tell us why this is happening."

The older blonde glanced over her shoulder briefly before responding. "That makes sense, I guess. We'll all stay out of your way in the living room."

"That would be very helpful, thank you," the blue-haired girl said with a small smile. The maid then joined the others. Amy looked at her companion and they started down the hall toward the door at the end of it. "That was quick thinking, Mina," she whispered as they checked the first door on the right side of the hall. It was a coat closet.

"What was?" the blonde girl asked as they revealed a small bathroom next.

"Not telling them that Ralph and Kingsly are missing and why we're searching here. I was afraid you were going to panic them."

"Well, the maid didn't say anything about it, and she had already taken our heads off. I figured why get her worked up again?"

The pair went into the next room, which turned out to be a large study. "That makes sense. And it also keeps them from thinking they're suspects."

Mina stopped in the middle of looking through a pile of papers on the desk. "Are they?"

Amy shook her head as she examined the bookshelves. "No motive. They're not getting any money at all."

"Oh, okay."

A little while later the pair stood in the center of the kitchen, having finished their search of the first floor. Amy looked at her watch. "That almost took us a whole hour, and we still have the upstairs and basement to check. We're never going to finish in time."

Mina sighed. "We're going to have to split up then. I'll take the upstairs while you check the basement. We'll meet in that entryway when we're done before heading back."

"But we're supposed to stick together."

"Oh, come on, Amy. We know neither of _us_ did it. And we don't think the servants did it. So there's really no danger at the moment, and we need to get the house searched. Splitting up is the quickest way to do that."

It was Amy's turn to sigh. "Alright. But let's be sure to meet ten minutes before one. That way we'll have enough time to get back to the main house before anyone gets worried about us."

"Okay!" Mina chirped. "See you then!" She dashed off toward the stairs that led to the second floor. Amy just shook her head and went through the door in the kitchen that held the stairs to the basement behind it.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Serena and Darien walked out of the same back door Raye and Madam Roselle left through a few minutes before and paused to look around. "Which way do we go?" the petite blonde asked.

"We'll go around the house to the left."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Any particular reason?"

Darien looked at her with a small smirk. "Going right gets you nowhere?"

She laughed. "You are ridiculous!"

"I aim to please. Now shall we?"

The couple began making their way to the left, looking carefully in the shrubs and bushes as they went. Before long, they could hear a voice getting louder from the direction of the back gardens, culminating in, "By the way, yes, I am a virgin!"

Darien blinked then began to grin. "Thank you for that little piece of information, Raye."

Serena giggled a bit. "No kidding. Maybe she should have said it a bit louder. I don't think they heard her on the other side of the house." Her smile faded and she looked at the ebony-haired young man speculatively. "So, you guys never... did anything?" she asked softly.

He stopped in his tracks. "Raye and me?"

"Yeah. While you two were together you never did anything?" She stopped a few steps ahead of him.

"I kissed her a couple of times, but other than that, no, nothing. Why?"

Serena released a sigh of relief. "That's good. I... was just afraid that you had, that's all. Let's keep going."

Darien reached out and grabbed her wrist as she started to move forward. "No, wait. Would that have bothered you?" She turned her head away and nodded. "Serena, I want you to know I wasn't ever really tempted. I like Raye. She's a great person. But not someone I want to be with like that, not someone I could share that kind of intimacy with. That's why I called it off with her. I didn't want to lead her on."

The petite blonde straightened and turned to face him. "Wait a minute. _You_ broke up with _her_?" He nodded, a confused expression on his face. She smiled in amusement. "She said that it was a mutual agreement, since you both thought you would be better friends than boyfriend and girlfriend." She bowed her head and shook it. "Oh, Raye. You didn't have to try so hard to save face. We would have understood."

Darien released Serena's wrist. "Well, don't say anything then, okay? It doesn't bother me if that's what she told people."

The girl looked up. "I won't. Why don't we keep looking?"

He nodded. "Right."

The two of them continued along their way, making small talk with one another, sharing little tidbits of themselves that they had never gotten a chance to share before due to the game they had been playing. When they got to the front of the house, Darien stopped and looked speculatively up at the dark building, shadows growing due to the storm that was building up once again. "That's odd," he said quietly.

Serena looked as well. "What is? That mermaid? I definitely agree. Is it just me or does she have fangs and claws?"

He chuckled. "It's not just you. But that's not what I was referring to. Look at the spire she's on, right in the center of the house. Can you think of any rooms that would be in there?"

The blonde blinked. "Now that you mention it..."

"Exactly. I think once we get back inside that we should take a closer look. Maybe we just missed a door or two."

"I can go for that. And we should also see if we can find a way to the third floor."

"Third floor?"

"Yeah, look. There's a window above the girls' balcony. And I never saw another staircase or anything."

"Good eye, Serena. We'll look into that. But for now let's keep checking around the house."

"Gotcha."

They finally made their way back to the point where they started, having found no trace of either missing man. Darien sighed and looked at his watch. "It's only twelve thirty. No one will be back for another half hour."

"Should we go in and help Mr. Doyle?" Serena asked as she leaned up against a tree.

Darien scowled a bit. "Probably, but I'm not sure I want to. The man really grates on my nerves."

Serena smiled. "I know what you mean. He's not taking this well at all."

There were a few moments of silence. "She's supposed to," Darien said finally.

"What? Who's supposed to what?"

"The mermaid. She's supposed to have claws and fangs. It's based on an old superstition that she would keep evil spirits away from the house by scaring them. It's the same deal with the gargoyles."

"Is that the same reason they put gargoyles on old churches in Europe?"

He nodded. "Yeah. But eventually they became more for decoration than anything else, especially when natural disasters and such destroyed an original building, or when time wore away the original sculpture."

She smiled. "You are really smart. I don't know how you keep all those facts straight in your head."

He grinned back at her. "You're pretty smart yourself. I think with a little more concentration you'd find those facts aren't all that hard to keep straight."

The blonde blushed and dropped her gaze to the ground, where she watched her toe dig slightly into the dirt. "I'm not really that smart."

Darien stepped forward and lifted her chin. "Yes, you are," he said softly as he locked gazes with her. "You've proven that to me this weekend. You came up with that defense for Eli's innocence, and well as Mr. Ward's. You thought to check the window when we found Kingsly missing, which I never would have done at that point. And you noticed the extra window above the girls' room and made a good guess as to what it meant. And that's just for starters. Please don't put yourself down so much. You're so much better than you realize." With that the ebony-haired young man pulled the girl into his embrace.

"Oh, Darien," Serena sighed as she returned the gesture wholeheartedly.

"I think your main problem is a lack of confidence," he murmured, nuzzling his face in between her buns. "I just want you to know that, no matter what I've said in the past - which I am very sorry for by the way - I think you are smart, incredibly beautiful, and a wonderful person. You're probably the best person I've ever known."

"Darien," she said in slight protest, blushing.

"That's why I need you so much in my life, Serena. You light up my days like no one else has been able to do before. No matter how rotten my day has gone, one run-in with you makes everything better. No one has ever affected me like that. I knew you were special from the very first moment I laid eyes on you."

"I knew you were special too. And it scared me, I think. That's probably why I got so defensive around you."

"As different as we are, it's scary to hear how much we're alike. I was thinking the same thing."

She smiled into his chest. "But we're better now, right?"

"Definitely," he responded as he smiled as well. "I just realized this weekend how much I need you, how much I want you. Serena, I lo..." His words ended in a sharp gasp as Serena began kissing his neck sensually. He let his eyes fall shut and his head fall back, his hands wandering up and down her back lightly.

"I want you too, Darien. I need you so much," Serena whispered as she started to unbutton his forest green silk collarless dress shirt, following her fingers with her lips.

"Serena, oh, gods, Serena," Darien moaned.

She blushed slightly when she reached his stomach and kissed her way back to his neck, where he took her face in his hands and tilted it up toward his own. Their mouths clashed, their breaths mingled, and their groans filled the air. Finally it was Darien's turn to work his way down Serena's neck while he ran his fingers through the lengths of golden silk that swayed slightly in the light breeze.

"Mm, yes, Darien. That feels good," the petite blonde practically purred.

His right hand slid around to the front of her body and began to knead her left breast through the fabric of her shirt and undergarments. In retaliation, she let her own right hand drift down the contours of his back and begin working on his left cheek, pulling his hips further into her. Sapphire blue eyes flew open briefly at the evidence of his arousal grinding into her stomach before falling shut once again, a small smile of triumph playing at the corners of her mouth.

This went on for a good five minutes or so, and just as things might have crossed beyond the point of no return, a loud crash and shout were heard from the room whose curtain-covered windows they were making out in front of. They broke apart with a start and ran for the back door, Darien quickly buttoning his shirt on the way.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

At five after one, Raye and Madam Roselle made their way to the drawing room, the last of the pairs to return to the house. Not that anyone else knew that. "Where are Serena and Darien?" the raven-haired priestess asked a touch warily as she looked around at the other occupants of the room.

"We don't know," Amy replied. "They weren't here when Mina and I got back from the servants' quarters a little before one."

"We got here a minute or two after that," Lita added. "There wasn't even a note."

"And where's Mr. Doyle?" Madam Roselle asked, a bit subdued.

"Another good question," Eli said, crossing his arms over his chest. "He hasn't made an appearance either."

The blonde in the room sat on the love seat staring speculatively at the pink calculator-like device she held in her hands. "We could always try this," she murmured under her breath.

Only Amy, who stood behind her, heard. She placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "We probably shouldn't. No matter who she's with, it'll bring up questions she's not in any kind of position at the moment to answer." Mina nodded at the words whispered quietly into her ear.

Another five minutes passed before the double doors to the room were thrown wide. "Oh, good! The rest of you are here!"

"Serena!" the four teenage girls cried in unison, immediately running forward and taking the startled girl into a group embrace.

"I see _I_ have been delegated to the status of chopped liver."

The girls backed away from each other briefly, shot each other a look, and immediately glomped themselves onto the ebony-haired young man. "Darien!" all five of them cried. He just laughed under the onslaught.

"Okay, that's two," Eli said after a moment, smiling. "Do you guys know where Mr. Doyle is? He wasn't here when we got here."

The sixsome broke apart and fully entered the room, shutting the doors behind themselves. "Actually, no. We were outside finishing our circuit of the house when we heard a shout and a crash. We ran inside and checked the study the noises had come from, but no one was there."

"That's when we decided to check to rest of the house as quickly as we could," Darien continued Serena's tale. "It was about ten before one when we ran inside so we thought we could do it before anyone missed us."

"Wrong," Raye said.

Serena giggled. "Obviously."

"So that means Mr. Doyle was the next victim," Roselle said nervously.

"It appears so. Did any of you see anything while you were searching?" Darien asked calmly.

"No, unfortunately. The servants were a bit skittish, but that's understandable. The basement was oddly empty, but that's about it," Amy said.

"And the upstairs was clear too, other than their personal items. I tried checking the attic, but it turns out it's really just a crawl space. A quick flash showed just a bunch of cobwebs." Mina winked at the other girls.

"Wait a minute. Did you guys separate?" Lita asked.

Amy blushed. "Yes, we had to so we could cover the entire house and get back on time."

"Well, now I don't feel so bad. Eli and I had to separate to cover the whole garden."

"Raye and I had to do the same thing. The gardens take up more room than I thought," Madam Roselle said quickly, not looking at the teenager she had paired off with. Raye just looked at her surprised.

"So let me get this right," Darien said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes squeezed shut. "All of you were alone for a significant amount of time over the last two hours?" The others in the room all looked around at each other for a moment then nodded, a few murmured agreements reaching his ears. "You do realize I wanted pairs for multiple reasons, don't you? First was for safety - the killer was less likely to try to take two of you out at the same time. Second was for expediency - I thought having two people working an area would cut down on the time it would take. And third was for alibis - if two of you were together at all times we could have eliminated someone from our list of suspects if something like what happened happened!" His midnight blues popped open and his hand dropped to his side. "You people do realize you're all still suspects now, right?" Serena placed a gentle hand on the agitated young man's arm to soothe him. He began taking deep breaths.

Everyone looked a bit sheepish as they looked around at the others suspiciously. "So what do we do now?" Raye asked.

Darien sighed. "I honestly don't know. I suppose we should look through the rooms a bit more thoroughly since Serena and I didn't have a lot of time to work with. We'll pair off again, but this time no one separates, okay?" There were no objections. "Serena and I will stay here and check this side of the first floor. Raye, you and Lita check the other side. Amy, you and Madam Roselle check our wing of the second floor, while Mina and Eli check his." The flustered leader looked at his watch. "It's one- thirty now. Try to be back here as close to two o'clock as you can. Let's go folks." The group separated once again.

This time there were no glitches during their search, and at two o'clock the eight remaining guests gathered in the drawing room to compare notes. "Well, anything?" Darien asked wearily.

"We didn't find anything unusual. Sorry, Darien," Amy said gently, Madam Roselle sharing her expression.

"Nothing from us either," Raye said while Lita nodded.

"Aside from what we already knew was there, nothing," Eli said.

"You do realize you're going to have to replace that carpeting," Mina said to her search companion. "Considering how long those blood stains have been there they're going to be next to impossible to get out."

"We didn't find anything either," Serena said, ignoring her fellow blonde. "So now we need ideas on what to do next."

Everyone was quiet for a few moments, shooting looks at everyone else. Finally a smile brightened Madam Roselle's features. "I know exactly what to do!" she declared.

"What are you thinking?" Raye asked, exasperated.

"I believe we must ask the spirits for guidance," the older woman said with a touch of mystery in her tone. "In particular the spirit of John Cunningham may be able to aid us in our time of need." Her eyes were bright as she looked around. "I will set everything up in the library. I must not be disturbed until I am ready," she announced when no one responded to her statement previous. She then strode dramatically out of the room, throwing an end of her shawl across her chest and over the opposite shoulder as she went.

There were no words spoken until after the double doors had been thrown wide and shut once again. "Are we really going to let her do this?" Raye asked incredulously.

Darien gave her a strange look. "Can you think of anything else to do?"

The priestess opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. She pursed her lips briefly and let out an explosive breath. "No, darn it, I can't. The feel of this place isn't right for a fire reading."

"So we let her do her seance. It won't hurt anything." Darien shrugged.

"Well, _I_ can think of something to do," Serena said with a mischievous smile.

"What?" Lita asked.

"Find something to eat. We missed lunch, and after all that excitement I'm starved."

They all laughed. "For once, Meatball Head, I have to agree. It's definitely time to eat," Raye said through her giggles as she grabbed the petite blonde's hand and began to drag her toward the kitchen, Darien close behind. The others quickly followed.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

The seven of them rooted around in the kitchen for about a half hour digging various different edibles out of cabinets and drawers. Finally, after piling a plate full of food, Serena went to a cupboard and took out a jar and placed it near a loaf of bread next to the toaster. Darien looked on with amusement as she whistled and went back for a butter knife.

"Aren't you done yet, Meatball Head?" Raye asked as she headed into the dining room where the rest of the waiting group was with her own plateful.

"Just one more thing and I'll be there," the petite blonde replied as she filled the four-slot device and pushed down the handle. Raye just shook her head and left.

"How much more do you need?" Darien asked from where he leaned against the island in the middle of the room.

"I just want something sweet."

"You _are_ something sweet," was his immediate response. As Serena blushed, he stepped up next to her and grabbed the jar she had pulled down. "Honey? You're going to put honey on toast?" He looked from the jar to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you ever had it?" He shook his head. "Then don't judge it until you've tried it. _I_ happen to like it."

"Well, _I_ happen to like _you_," the ebony-haired young man said mischievously, wrapping his arms around the petite blonde's waist and pulling her close, "and I still can't wait to try you some more."

"Darien!" Serena protested, blushing wildly. He merely chuckled and bent down slightly to capture her lips with his own.

They shared that passionate kiss until the toast popped up. Serena then tickled the young man holding her until he finally released her so she could take care of her bread. Once she was finished the couple joined the others.

"Took long enough," Raye said slyly once the pair had sat down.

"Bread does not turn to toast in the blink of an eye, you know," Serena replied.

"Oh, I'm sure that was _all_ you were focused on," Mina teased.

"And if it wasn't, it's not like we're about to tell you about it," Darien said calmly, digging in to his own plateful of food. Serena blushed slightly and focused on eating.

"Ah ha!" Lita cried. "So you _were_ doing something other than waiting for toast!"

"I didn't say that. All I said was that if we were we weren't telling. Then again, we were just as likely simply waiting for the toast to pop up so Serena could spread her honey on it and eat it. You may never know for sure." The reserved tone the young man used couldn't hide the impish twinkle in his midnight blues.

"He's got you there," Amy concurred. The blue-haired girl turned to face him. "It's interesting meeting a master. Not too many people can slip through their fingers like that when they get focused on digging up dirt. I'm impressed."

"Years of training," Darien replied. Laughter echoed off the walls and the seven of them chatted the rest of the way through their late lunch.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

The chimes of the grandfather clock in the foyer declared the time to be seven o'clock when Madam Roselle finally reappeared. She was dressed like a classic gypsy fortune teller with a purple theme, and she stared at them all with a sultry look. "Come, the library awaits." She paused and smiled mysteriously. "And the spirits of course."

Everyone could see Raye holding back a stinging retort as the older woman turned her back on the group and led the way across the entryway and into the nearly pitch black book room. The burgundy velvet drapes had been drawn over the huge picture window, hiding the storm that raged on once again outside. Three candles on the large round walnut table that had been pushed up very close to the bookshelves opposite the outside wall were the only light source in the room, and once the double door closed behind the last of them they proved not to be entirely adequate, although they did reflect quite nicely off the medium-sized clear crystal ball in the center. There was a bit of stumbling as people made their way to the chairs that had been set up around the lace-covered table, and they all sat down.

Madam Roselle took her seat on the backless padded bench resting against the tall bookshelves. She glanced around, taking note of where everyone was sitting. Raye was to her right, and then Amy, Lita, Eli, Mina, Serena, and finally Darien on the older woman's left. She laid her hands out palms up on the table. "We must now all join hands," she intoned.

Mina and Serena clasped their hands together while the others made a circle. Darien noticed the two blondes, rolled his eyes, and nudged the meatball-adorned one in the ribs. She glared at him for a moment before noticing the offered hand and realizing her mistake. Once she fixed it, she passed the nudge along and silently corrected Mina.

"We have come together to join our energies and speak to John Cunningham, who has just recently passed beyond the veil," Roselle continued once the circle was complete. "John Cunningham, tell us the name of the murderer who stalks the guests in your mansion." There was only silence. "Can you hear us, John Cunningham? Knock two times for no, four times for yes."

Raye rolled her eyes during a brief moment of silence. "Knock how many times for yes?" a deep, shaky male voice asked from nowhere and everywhere at once. The younger set all stiffened in shock, although the Shinto priestess still looked a bit skeptical.

Roselle started to bounce slightly in her seat in her excitement. "Yes! Oh, John Cunningham, can you tell us the name of the murderer in your mansion?"

A soft rumble of thunder was heard during a slight pause. "Ah, no, this is his answering service," an annoyingly nasal female voice said a bit impatiently.

The dark-haired woman whimpered in frustration while Raye let out an explosive breath and tried to wiggle her hand free of the vice grip the older woman had. "No! I want to speak to John Cunningham!"

"I'm sorry," the same voice replied, "but he is unavailable. If you'd like to leave a message I'm sure he'll get right back to you."

"But you don't understand! This is an emergency! I need to speak to John Cunningham!"

The others at the table groaned a bit while another rumble of thunder made itself heard.

"I am the Ghost of Christmas Present!" a shaky male voice echoed through the room.

"I need to talk to John Cunningham! I need to know who the killer is in his mansion!"

"Repent, Ebenezer! Remember the fate of Jacob Marley! Repent! Repent!"

Raye yanked her hand away as Darien tried to do the same in a much more gentle fashion. Roselle leaned forward on her now free arm and let go of Darien's hand in the process. "Look, would you just get off the line please?"

Just then a loud, almost-deafening crack of thunder shook the building to its foundation, and the candles suddenly went out. There were squeaks and squeals all around, and both men found themselves with arms filled with at least one female apiece. "Okay, okay, girls, calm down." Darien's voice seemed to do the trick as the girls' protests died down.

"I think the lights are out all over the house," Amy said quietly.

"Somebody turned on the dark!" Mina squeaked.

"Just give me a second to find some matches." Darien managed to get Serena back in her chair - as much as he didn't really want to - and dug in his pocket for his goal. Finally he was successful.

The ebony-haired young man lit one of the matchsticks and brought it over to his left, revealing Serena sitting there staring at him with fear in her sapphire blues. Moving on showed Mina and her sky blue eyes in much the same condition. Then there was Eli, who gulped bravely and nodded. Lita was next, and her emerald greens quivered slightly. Amy was the calmest of the bunch, her dark blue eyes steadily meeting Darien's gaze. Then there was Raye, whose violet eyes showed a bit of surprise, but mostly anger. This was, of course, when the flame hit the tips of the young man's fingers and he dropped the little dying fire with a curse, plunging the room back into darkness.

Once his composure was regained, Darien lit another match and slowly brought it over to where Madam Roselle was sitting. Well, should have been sitting. The light from the small flame revealed only a full bookshelf. "Madam Roselle!" the seven of them gasped in unison. "She's gone!"

"You know," Amy said after a moment of stunned silence and Darien had put out the match before he burned his fingers again, "I have to admit to being unnerved by all this. It's like we're in an Agatha Christie novel."

"I was thinking the same thing," Eli said softly.

"Well, I think we should do something to take our minds off that then," Darien said as he reached forward and grabbed one of the candles. "I say we split..."

Serena's hand clapped over his mouth cut him off. "Don't, Darien," she said nervously. "I know exactly what you were going to say, and it's when people say that and they go ahead and do it that people disappear and die."

"That, and you sound like a rerun of Scooby Doo," Mina added.

"So where's your orange neck scarf, Fred?" Lita snickered.

Darien rolled his eyes and gently pulled Serena's hand away from his face. "Look, I understand why you're nervous, but we should really look. And we'll cover more ground if we're in two groups." He lit the candle he held.

Shortly afterward, a scraping sound was heard and another candle was lit, revealing Eli as its holder. "I agree. I'll take a group upstairs while Darien leads a group on the first floor."

Darien nodded. "That works for me."

"I'll go with Darien and Serena," Mina said quickly, grabbing and lighting the last candle with a match from a book of matches she pulled out of her pocket.

"I'm with Eli," Lita chimed in.

"I think I'll go upstairs myself," Amy said with a little more thought.

"I don't think I could take both blondes together at a time like this. I'm with Amy," Raye said with a small smirk on her face. Serena stuck her tongue out at her before everyone jumped at another loud crash of thunder from the raging storm.

"There are more candles in easy reach in the drawing room. I have some matches on me so we should be okay if they go out again," Amy said.

"I have matches too," Lita added.

"Why does everyone but me have matches?" Serena asked.

"I like to be prepared for all kinds of emergencies," Amy explained.

Lita blushed. "It's a leftover habit from before I came to Juuban. I never smoked, but the group of people I hung around with did, and having matches was easier than listening to them gripe when they lost their lighters."

"I just do," Mina said with a shrug.

"And you people call _me_ a pyro," Raye muttered. "For your information I _don't_ have matches."

"Okay, it's settled then. Let's get this over with. When Serena, Mina, and I are done down here we'll wait at the base of the stairs in the entryway. You guys do the same. If it takes more than an hour, we'll assume the other team is gone." Darien's completely serious tone brought everyone's focus back to the most pressing matter at hand.

"Got it," everyone else said in unison.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

The seven young men and women quickly gathered the extra candles so everyone would be carrying one and divided up into their predesignated groups. The trio downstairs started with the study, trying to be careful not to trip on any of the mess left behind by the evidence of Doyle's violent capture. They found nothing there, although Darien quickly discovered Serena's almost violent aversion to thunderstorms when she practically jumped into his arms with every roll of thunder. As much as he enjoyed the fact that she felt he could protect her, the oddly satisfied look on Mina's face every time it happened made him reluctantly push her away and settle for holding her hand comfortingly.

The library also turned up no clues to the whereabouts of their missing fortune teller and attorney. "At least this room is neat," Mina said to no one in particular. Serena and Darien merely nodded their agreement.

They searched the drawing and dining rooms to no avail, although Mina did find that the small stained glass lamp on top of the roll-top desk _was_ a Tiffany. The kitchen was deserted as well, and they had to drag Serena away from the refrigerator. "I'm not really hungry!" she insisted. "It's just that I'll know when the power goes back on!"

The scary part was that as far as Darien and Mina could tell, the meatball-headed blonde was telling the complete truth.

When they got back to the entryway, they decided to spend the time waiting for the other four members of their collective scouring the area. Making sure to keep the other two candles in sight at all times, they poked into every corner and crevice they could find, neither blonde knowing just how close they came to disturbing numerous spiders' webs complete with occupants.

Finally a short train of bobbing lights started to make their way down the marble staircase, and the threesome gathered at the base. Amy was the first to reach them. "I'm sorry, guys. We really didn't find anything. We might have had better luck with full power..."

"Probably not," Raye interjected as she joined the crowd.

"But we don't so we'll have to make due with this until morning," Amy finished as though nothing had happened.

"I really hope we _make_ it to morning," Lita said as she came up to the group.

"We will. I know we will," Serena said as brightly as she could manage.

Darien narrowed his eyes as a creeping suspicion came upon him. After doing a quick candle count he gasped. "Where's Eli?"

The three girls that had been with him started looking around wildly. "He said he'd take up the rear so we'd feel safe!" Lita cried. "Oh, I feel _so_ guilty!"

"Oh, knock it off," Raye snapped. "That's not going to find him."

"And if you don't stop thrashing around like that you're going to put out everybody's candles," Amy said firmly as she stopped moving herself. Her other two teammates immediately froze in their tracks. "That's better."

An appropriately timed crack of thunder shook the house once again, making everyone at least flinch. "Okay, this just leaves the six of us," Serena said, fear tinging her tone.

"And we know _we_ didn't do it," Raye said, the wildness in her eyes belying the calm voice.

"So who did?" Mina asked in a barely-audible whisper.

Bright flashes of lightning and rolling cracks of thunder filled the silence as no one could find an answer to that most vital of questions.


	6. Chapter 6

Sailor See, Sailor Die - Chapter Six  
A Fic Challenge Response by Una Moonstar

Original ANs: I am dedicating this to Ely, for posting the challenge that inspired the fic in the first place and having the patience to wait for me to get off my butt and finish it, and QS, for loving this story like only she can and telling me so. You guys have been great!

Oh, and to remind everyone, here are the fic challenge ingredients: 600 tennis balls, an empty swimming pool, a jar of honey, a sheep, and, of course, Tuxedo Kamen (Mask in my case). Can you figure out (and more importantly, can you remember...) where each of these items appeared in this fic? -_snicker-_ I don't have a prize in mind for the right answers, but feel free to write me and let me know what your guesses are anyway.

New ANs: I am _so_ sorry it has taken me so long to update this! I honestly never intended to make you all wait - I lost my internet for a while and have been caught up in rehearsals for a play I'm in that's going to a competition February 9th through the 11th. Eek! I'm so nervous and excited! Anyway, here it is - the final chapter of Sailor See, Sailor Die! Enjoy - and tell me what you think!

_(fade out...)_

_(begin chapter...)_

"We have to keep looking," Darien said, his eyes squeezed shut in frustration. "I can't believe that they just disappeared into thin air."

"But who did this?" Raye asked, her snippy tone ineffectively covering up her fear.

"I don't know!" the ebony-haired young man snapped back. "I just don't know! I don't have all the answers!"

"Some leader _you_ turned out to be!" Raye cried, tears beginning to form in her violet orbs.

"Who do you think I am? Sherlock Holmes? Hercule Poirot? One of the Hardy Boys maybe? I'm not, Raye! My name is Darien Shields and I'm stuck in the middle of a mansion where all the guests are disappearing or dead! And believe it or not I'm just as scared as you are! I don't want to die! And I sure as hell don't want Serena to die! That's the most important thing right now and I don't know if I can stop it from happening!" With that, he spun on his heel, the motion nearly blowing out his candle, and stormed into the drawing room, slamming the door behind him.

"Darien, wait!" Serena cried, rushing off after him.

"Way to go, Raye," Lita said with irritation in her tone once the four girls were alone in the foyer.

"Why did you have to go off on him? He's done a wonderful job of keeping us together so far. It's not _his_ fault that things keep happening," Mina added.

"You really were far too harsh on him," Amy murmured.

"I know," the raven-haired priestess said softly, her eyes trained on the closed double doors of the drawing room. "I'm scared, I'm so very scared, and I took it out on Darien, probably because he was the man in charge. I know it wasn't fair of me. I know it wasn't right. And I know I should apologize. You're right; he's done a wonderful job. Everyone would have completely lost it last night if it hadn't been for him." She paused as she swallowed the growing lump in her throat. "And the fact that he wants to protect Serena just wins all the more brownie points in my book. I know all that."

"So why aren't you doing anything about it?" Mina asked gently.

Raye gave a short laugh. "I'm afraid he won't forgive me."

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

"Darien?" Serena said softly as she closed the door behind her and stepped into the oddly dark drawing room. "Are you in here?"

"You should go back out with the other girls," a familiar voice, seemingly muffled, said from the direction of the overstuffed couch. "I'm sure they'll be much more capable of protecting you."

"I don't know about that," the petite blonde replied, staying exactly where she was. "I'd say you've done a good job so far."

There was a derisive snort. "Safety in numbers, Serena. That's the ploy we've been using since this started. And obviously it stopped working since Eli is gone. Just go."

"Darien, I'm not leaving you alone to be the next victim."

"Why not? I'm worthless. Raye had a point - some leader _I_ turned out to be. There are six people left out of an original thirteen. I'm not even batting five hundred."

"Raye is scared, Darien. She tends to lash out when she's scared, usually at the person who's supposed to be in charge. I'm willing to bet money she's regretting her words even as we speak, on top of the fact that the others are probably giving her a hard time about it. You've been wonderful so far. I'm sure everyone would have panicked last night if you hadn't taken charge as effectively as you did. And you kept everyone on track today as well. You can't blame yourself for not having solved the mystery. We were _all_ supposed to be working on it together. So if anyone's to blame it would be all of us."

"Well, that doesn't bring back the others, now does it?"

Serena's jaw set as her temper started to rise. Why wouldn't he just let her comfort him, damn it? "Well, neither does you wallowing in self-pity! All that does is give this killer another victim! And I won't have it! I won't lose you, damn it! I won't!" She blew out her candle and stepped carefully to the couch where she thought his voice was coming from.

"Serena?" Darien called, sitting up slightly once the light had gone out. He hadn't heard the door open or close... "Serena, are you still there?"

The unexpected response to his words was the sudden pressure of her lips on his as she took his face in her hands and kissed him. "Do you honestly think I can let you go now that I've found you?" she said once she pulled away slightly. "You haven't failed me or anyone else here. This isn't over yet. We still have a chance. We haven't found any bodies, so the odds are that everyone is still alive but being held somewhere. We just have to find out where. But that chance is gone if you give up." She moved her hands from his cheeks to his shoulders, squeezing them in a comforting gesture.

Darien quickly wrapped the girl up in a tight embrace. "How is it that you can make me believe you?" he asked into her shoulder. "It's usually so much easier to accept the worst, but somehow I can't around you."

Serena giggled slightly. "Well, that's a good thing. You have to keep trying for the best or it will never happen."

Before the young man could respond, one of the doors to the room opened and four candle-carrying figures stepped inside. "Serena? Darien? Are you guys alright?" Mina called.

At the sound of the pale blonde's voice Darien let go of Serena and sat up completely, turning slightly to face the newcomers as the petite blonde rose to her feet. "Yeah, we're fine. Just talking."

"Darien, I want to apologize. I said stuff I shouldn't have, that I didn't mean. I'm just scared and nervous and you were an easy target. Please forgive me. You've been a great leader." Raye bit her lower lip as she waited for his response.

He smiled. "You're forgiven. I can understand the feeling." The priestess gave him a shaky smile in return.

"Now we should really work together and look for where whoever is doing this is hiding the people he or she snatched. We haven't found any bodies so my guess is they're still alive." Serena gave the group an optimistic grin.

"That's a logical conclusion," Amy agreed.

"We're going to all stick together now, aren't we?" Lita asked nervously. "I don't think I want to break off into pairs or threesomes."

"No, I think we should all stick together now," Darien said, confidence back in his tone. "It'll be harder to grab any of us if there are going to be five other people ready to pounce on the grabber."

A crash of thunder shook the building, reminding everyone of the storm that still raged on outside. Serena shuddered. "I hate thunderstorms."

"Well, at least you seem to be taking this one better than you usually do," Amy said encouragingly.

"That probably has something to do with the fact that I'm more scared of something else right now." The petite blonde shrugged.

"Well, we'll all be together now. Why don't we get moving? We'll cover the downstairs first then move upstairs, checking each room as carefully as we can. Be on the lookout for secret doors and panels."

The girls nodded at Darien's instructions, and the six of them started looking around the room they were in after lighting Serena and Darien's candles from the ones already lit. Once they were finished with the drawing room, they moved on to the dining room. It didn't take long before they were examining the nooks and crannies in the kitchen and pantry. They then moved across the hall into the library.

They had spread out along the shelves, a few of them pulling random books in hope that it would reveal a secret door. "So what kind of title do you guys think a book that's a lever for a secret door would have?" Mina asked from the shelf to the right of the still-covered picture window.

"Please Pull Me?" Lita offered with a smirk from the other side of the window.

"How to Hide a Secret Passage?" Serena said with a giggle from her place along the wall opposite the double doors. Darien turned from his examination of the shelves in the corner and smiled at her.

"Oh, please," Raye said from the shelves on the same wall as the doors. "Those titles are about as corny as Kingsly's."

"Personally I think a book like that would have a very subtle hint as a title," Amy said from the wall across from the window, the group having pulled the round table away from the wall before they began the search.

"Like The Secret Garden?" Serena asked as she examined one of the bronze busts that took up space periodically on the shelves.

"Exactly," Amy approved. Her eyes fell on the book mentioned. "Well, well, well."

"What is it, Ames?" Lita asked.

"I found..."

The blue-haired genius was cut off by a sharp crack mixed with a loud rumble of thunder. In the midst of all the noise, the candles all went out thanks to a mysterious gust of wind that swirled through the room. The blondes screamed, and Darien found himself with his arms full of a certain Meatball Head. Finally the room was quiet, the only sound to be heard the harsh breathing of the people in the room. "Is everyone okay?" Darien asked once he managed to pry Serena away slightly.

"Just light the candles and we'll see," Raye said quickly, not even bothering to hide her nervousness, her voice coming from the area around the window.

Three distinct scrapes were heard and then one by one the candles were lit. Darien and Serena stood huddled together in the corner the young man had been looking in, Mina stood alone in the corner closest to where she had last been seen, and Raye and Lita were standing close together next to the window. No light came from where Amy had been.

"Amy?" Serena called. "Are you okay? Did you lose your matches?"

Darien led her to where he suspected the blue-haired girl should be, and everyone gasped. The genius was nowhere to be found.

"Amy!" Raye yelled. "No!"

"Where is she?" Lita cried, starting to panic.

"Okay, okay, girls, calm down," Darien said quickly, wrapping his arms around Serena, who had thrown herself at him and started to cry. "We won't be able to do anything for Amy if we lose our cool."

"He's right, guys," Mina agreed shakily, her eyes wild. "We need to stay calm to find Amy. She'd do it for us."

"Of course she would. Her element is ice," Lita refuted.

"That's enough, guys," Serena said through her sniffles, attempting to stop her tears. "We just need to keep looking. Think of it this way - Amy's found the others." She gave the rest a small smile.

Darien squeezed her. Her ability to bounce back always amazed him. "Serena's right. We should keep looking. But could you guys look outside the window and find out what made all the extra racket?"

Lita and Raye did as requested and whistled. "Wow, guys. It looks like a bolt of lightning hit an old tree out there. I bet that's what all the noise was." The tall brunette brought her head out from under the drapes and grinned, her emerald green eyes sparkling.

"Definitely lightning," Raye concurred as she brought her head out as well. "You can see the charring along the ground and the edges of the fallen tree."

Darien nodded. "That explains that then. Let's get moving."

The five of them then moved on to the study next door. "This place is a disaster area," Raye said as the quintet spread across the room as they had the one before.

"We didn't think we should disturb the scene. This is where Mr. Doyle was taken from, you know," Serena explained.

"So where were you two in your search when that happened again?" Lita asked, moving over to where a flash of lightning showed a glass-doored cabinet against the wall the door was on.

"We were just outside, actually. We had just finished our circuit," Darien said, grateful the dark hid his blush as he remembered exactly what he and Serena were doing at that time.

"So you weren't doing anything _else_?" Mina asked slyly as she made her way to the wall opposite the door to check out the selection of framed pictures and certificates hung there.

"Why would we be doing anything else?" Serena asked innocently, blushing furiously as she and Darien began to sort through the mess that used to be the desk in the center of the room.

"That has got to be one of the dumbest questions I've ever heard you ask, Meatball Head," Raye said, shaking her head and smirking as she began to examine the pictures and paneling along the right hand wall opposite the window. "Oh, hey, there are candle sconces on the wall over here."

"Are there candles?" Lita asked a bit distractedly as she found the keys to the cabinet on top of the piece of furniture.

"No, oddly enough. But the picture in the middle of the wall is crooked. That annoys me..." Her voice trailed off as she started to reach for the ornate oak frame.

Thunder echoed through the night once again, a long, loud extended roll that shook everyone and everything to their foundations. Again a unexplained gust of wind swirled through the room, blowing out the candles and plunging the group into darkness. And again the blondes screamed and Serena jumped into Darien's arms. He was prepared for it this time, however. "Candle check, girls," the ebony-haired young man called out once he put Serena down next to him.

Once again three distinct scrapes were heard and then three pinpoints of light were seen. Darien lit Serena's candle and looked around. Lita stood slightly shaken by the cabinet, Mina stood biting her lower lip against the wall she had been looking over, and there was no sign of Raye.

"Raye? You need someone to light your candle?" Serena called out, finding it odd that the priestess hadn't already demanded one of the others do just that.

Mina gulped and stepped over to where the raven-haired girl had last been seen and again everyone gasped. Raye was gone.

"Okay, that's it," Lita said in a barely-controlled panic. "I am never watching another horror movie again!"

"Breathe, Lita," Darien said quickly. "You can't afford to lose it now."

"Raye and Amy need us," Serena said tearfully, gripping the arm Darien didn't have the candle at the end of. He looked down at her, proud she was keeping her cool as well as could be expected.

"Right," Mina said shakily. "We... we should keep looking then. They're obviously not here."

"That makes sense. Let's get moving, girls," Darien said gently but firmly.

The foursome did as instructed and headed for the foyer. "Do we really need to go over the entryway again?" Serena asked once they reached the base of the marble staircase. "I think we searched pretty thoroughly while we were waiting for the others earlier."

Darien nodded. "I agree. Why don't we make our way upstairs then?"

"Sure, lead the way," Lita said, having regained at least part of her composure. Mina nodded her agreement.

The clump of them slowly walked up the stairs, and paused on the landing. "Hey, what happened to the table that was here?" Serena asked, looking around puzzled.

"Hey, yeah," Lita said, eyeing up the lone tapestry that had been hanging on the wall behind it like the cloth might have eaten the black walnut piece of furniture. "I could have sworn I saw it earlier."

"Do you think it got damaged in Ralph's fall?" Mina asked as she nervously looked around.

"Maybe one of the servants took it away when they cleaned up the crystal shards this morning," Darien offered. "In any case, it's not here now, and we have more important things to be looking for."

"So, which wing do we check first?" Mina asked, returning her attention to the task at hand.

Darien took a deep breath and shrugged. He handed his candle to Serena and began digging in his pocket. Finally he pulled out a quarter. "Heads we go north, tails we go south." He flipped the coin into the air, caught it, and slapped it onto the back of his left hand. He slowly raised the right one to reveal a familiar bird looking back at them.

"Looks like we go down our hall," Lita said, taking a step in that direction.

"What was that noise?" Mina asked at the sound of crunching that step made. She crouched down to check out the carpet, taking note of some leftover crystal shards that had been overlooked by whoever had cleaned them up and figuring that must have been what made the sound she heard. The others, not noticing the pale blonde's distraction, started to move toward the left-hand set of stairs while she took a closer look at some of the stone blocks near the lower edge of the tapestry. "Hey, guys?" she called, her voice slightly muffled as she began to lift the fabric to look underneath it.

The others turned around just in time to get caught up in the next sequence of events. Lightning flashed, thunder cracked, and the tapestry fluttered out violently from the wall, putting out the candles one more time. There was a distinct "Eep!" from the direction the red-bow-bedecked blonde had been crouched in, and the other three people rushed to get their light sources relit.

They were almost expecting the sight they found once Lita and Darien had lit the three candles: Mina was nowhere to be seen.

The trio moved to the tapestry and began examining it carefully. "There has to be some sort of secret door here," Serena said desperately, grabbing for one of the small black walnut shelves that hung to either side of the thick tapestry.

Lita grabbed for the other one. "Right. So where is it?"

"Is this triggering anything, Darien?" the petite blonde asked the ebony-haired young man who had lifted up the cloth to examine the wall beneath.

"No, it's not. Stay calm, girls. Just take a little bit of time and we'll find it. We won't do anybody any good if we're running around like chickens with their heads cut off. You might want to check the stones of the wall. One could be a trigger." With that, Darien began putting pressure in various places on the floor in front of the hanging fabric.

Both girls did as suggested, taking deep breaths as they checked the stones on either side of the tapestry, pushing on the ones they were suspicious of. Finally the three of them concluded that if there were a secret door there, and they were sure there was, they weren't going to find it right then.

"There has to be more than one secret door," Darien said resignedly. "Considering all the different places people have disappeared from, there's probably a maze of them behind the walls."

"Okay, then we find another one," Serena said firmly, her features hardening in determination. "Let's get our friends back."

"Right," Lita said with a grin then turned to face the young man next to them. "Lead the way, oh fearless leader." Darien arched an eyebrow at the grinning brunette then shook his head and led the two girls up the stairs to the south wing.

They started with the master bedroom that Serena and Darien were staying in then moved on to the room the other four girls had been assigned. Finding nothing there they went next to the smaller room that Madam Roselle was occupying. They were all not surprised to see various fortune telling devices strewn about the room and a large framed poster of the constellations hung on one of the walls. But there were no secret doors that they could find.

"Now this is morbid," Lita declared as they stepped into Dr. Nathaniel Blake's room at the end of the hall. The only thing other than size that differentiated this bedroom from the others was that it had a closet as well as a wardrobe.

"Well, he was a neat man," Serena commented, making her way to the wardrobe.

"I've seen neater places," Darien replied as he began checking the area around the bed.

"You two are too much," Lita said with a slight chuckle as she went to the closet and opened the door. "Oh, wow, a walk-in closet," she said with awe in her tone, stepping inside, being careful of the clothes that still hung there. No one noticed the door shut behind her.

Serena giggled. "That _is_ an oddity. It's too bad we can't have this place - we could use the room." She kept her face buried in the piece of furniture she was examining.

Another five minutes had passed when a slight scraping noise was heard from somewhere seemingly outside the room. "What's that?" Darien asked, bringing his head up from where he had been checking out the floor under the bed.

"I don't know," Serena said, coming halfway out of the wardrobe. She looked over at the closet and saw that the door was closed. "Maybe Lita went outside quick to check something out."

"What?" Darien exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. "That would be incredibly stupid at a time like this!" He rushed over to the closet and threw open the door. There was no one inside.

"Well, is she there?" the petite blonde asked nervously as she joined him.

He closed the door as he stepped out. "No, there's nothing there. Maybe she did go out."

Serena gulped. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Darien took a deep breath and released it. "You and me both." He looked at the girl at his side seriously. "We should keep looking though. Maybe we're wrong and we'll run into her in the hall."

Serena merely nodded and the pair headed for the north wing.

Again they found nothing in the large bedroom at the end of the hall that was Eli's, and Barrett Ward's room next to it also turned up nothing. They managed to ignore the large blood stain in Kingsly's room while they searched it, again coming up empty. Hewett Doyle's room was next, and as much as Darien had to admit privately the man was as nit-picky as he was when it came to keeping his room neat, no clues or passages were revealed.

"Wait a minute," Serena said, slightly confused, as the couple walked into Ralph's room closest to the stairs. "Is it just me or is there an extra bedroom in this wing?"

Darien blinked and thought about it for a moment. "There is."

"How did that happen?"

"Well, as far as I can tell, Eli's room isn't quite as big as ours, and I know Mr. Ward's room is nowhere near as big as the girls' is. That leaves enough space for another room in this wing." He shrugged.

"Oh." She glanced around the smaller room, taking note that its setup was the same as Dr. Blake's. "Well, I'm going to check the closet."

Darien nodded. "I'll check the wardrobe. Don't be too long, okay?"

"I won't." With that the girl stepped into the walk-in closet after moving the few clothes out of her way so there wouldn't be any danger of her accidentally setting them on fire with her candle.

Serena checked the walls carefully for any sign of a secret door, using her free hand to feel around the wood paneling. She finally made it to the far back wall. "I think there's a small, different-colored panel," she murmured to herself as she squinted at the suspect square. Tentatively she pushed at it, and was surprised when it gave way and the wall silently moved aside to reveal a thin staircase leading up and down. "Yes!" she cried. "Darien, I found a secret door with some stairs behind it!" she called out without moving. "I'm going to follow them and find out where they go!" She pondered which way to go first briefly before deciding she wanted to see the mysterious third floor.

Darien, as Serena was making her discovery, had stepped into the wardrobe to examine the back of it more closely. An odd panel had caught his eye, and he thought he might have found a secret compartment of some sort that might hold a clue as to the motive of their killer. He pushed on a knot in the discolored panel and jumped when it shifted slightly and slid aside.

After blinking for a few moments, he stepped forward into the new space, moving aside the clothes that were hanging in his way. He pushed at the far back wall, and again was surprised when it swung open, revealing Doyle's room. He grinned. "Serena?" he called back over his shoulder. "I found a secret passage connecting Ralph's room and Doyle's! I'm going to check it out, okay?" He stepped out into the attorney's room.

Neither teenager realized that with all the space and clothes between them the other had no way of hearing their partner's words.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

As Serena topped the stairs, she found herself in a musty attic with ceilings tall enough to allow her to stand at her full height. She crinkled her nose at the slight smell and flinched as lightning lit up the large, long room briefly. There were boxes piled in various places in the space that obviously took up the length of the mansion. She wandered over to the closest pile to her right, a briefcase on top of one of the boxes catching her eye during the next flash of light.

The girl ran her hands over the stiff dark black leather as she bit her lip in contemplation. She debated whether or not to open it, considering the act to be a major invasion of privacy. Finally she sighed and realized she needed to do it - the fact that there wasn't an ounce of dust on the case said there could be some clues inside. Sparing a glance out the window directly to her left, she tried the buttons to either side of the brass latches and jumped a bit when they easily sprung open.

Serena gulped before slowly raising the lid and finding a lot of loose papers inside. On top was a copy of John Cunningham's death certificate, showing the actual date of death to be exactly a week before. She shuddered and put it aside. Underneath that she found a copy of the multi-page document Doyle had read the guests the night before. She flipped through, finally coming to the last page, where it was signed and dated about three months previous. And lastly was a short document, signed and dated a week before John Cunningham's death.

The petite blonde quickly read the one page addendum to the old man's will, knowing she was holding the solution to the mystery in her hands. "If any of my heirs should die before my property has been divided as recorded in my last will and testament, that person's inheritance shall be divided equally amongst the surviving heirs," she read aloud to make sure she read it right the first time. Her brows creased in thought. "Wait a minute. Doyle never read that last night." She looked back at the paper. At the bottom was John Cunningham's signature, sealed and notarized by...

"I see you found my little secret," a familiar voice said from behind the blonde girl as a shadow fell over the last piece of the puzzle. Serena stiffened.

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

Darien searched through the lawyer's things once again as he tried to figure out just what that secret door could mean. "I guess the big question is did Doyle know about it," he muttered to himself as he carefully rooted through the second of the attorney's bags. He paused as his hand touched something odd. "What in the world...?" When he pulled his hand out, he found he was holding a padded pouch with a button holding the flap shut.

"Okay, this I need to see." He opened the pouch and found three vials, two empty and one filled with a clear fluid. There were no labels. He furrowed his brows and reached back inside, eventually coming up with a bag of disposable hypodermic needles. "Is Doyle diabetic or something like that?" he muttered, confused.

Darien replaced the items he had removed and took one last look around the room before deciding to check Kingsly's room next door one more time. Once there, his eyes flitted briefly to the reddish-brown stain in the carpet before focusing on the wardrobe up against the wall. He quickly looked for and found a similar mark like the one inside Ralph's. He pushed it and found himself once again in Doyle's room, this time coming through a practically seamless door in the paneling. "This is too convenient," he said shaking his head as suspicions began to form in his thoughts. "I need to tell Serena."

He took the traditional route back to Ralph's room and looked around confused when he didn't see Serena waiting for him. He was about to call out for her when the overwhelming sensation of danger washed over him and drove him to his knees. He gasped in shock at how powerful it was, somehow realizing that it was similar to the feeling he got when Sailor Moon transformed, but yet it was different. His midnight blue gaze locked with the window across the room from him, and he stood and stumbled toward it, somehow knowing that's where he needed to be. "Serena," he managed to whisper before falling back to his hands and knees.

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

Serena spun around, dropping the page back into the briefcase. Her eyes widened at the sight of the man standing behind her. "I... I can't believe you'd go this far," she said softly.

The small lawyer smirked. "I guess I should have realized you were one of the goody-two-shoes of the group," Doyle said derisively. "'A truly good person' he called you. What a load of horse hocky!"

"Why have you done this?" the blonde asked somewhat desperately, hoping to buy some time so Darien would notice her disappearance. "Why would you need that money so badly?"

The small man gave a short barking laugh. "My dear, your innocence astounds me. I have an opportunity to inherit millions of dollars in one short weekend. It doesn't matter that I don't really _need_ it. It's money. You know, what makes the world go 'round? And the more you have the better. Is it my fault that Cunningham never told anyone about that little stipulation he decided to add to his will? I think not."

"These people are other people's family, other people's friends. How could you do that to all those people?"

The man smirked. "In case you haven't noticed I'm pretty much out for myself and myself alone. I don't care what happens to all those other people. Why should I? I'll be rich!"

"So you killed everybody?" She narrowed her eyes at him even as she inwardly hoped that he would deny her claim.

Her wish was granted. "Not yet. I decided that I would just get everybody out of the way and harmless to my plans before I finished the job. Besides, it made it easier to throw everyone off my trail by making myself disappear. But you, and that boyfriend of yours, kept on coming, kept on looking. So," he said menacingly, taking a step forward and causing Serena to step back toward the window, "I guess I'll just have to take care of _you_ now. Once he's the only one left it should be easy to take care of the boy wonder downstairs."

Serena's sapphire blues widened in panic as she bumped up against the sill of the window. "No! Leave Darien alone!"

"My dear," Doyle sneered as he leaned in and put his hands to either side of her, trapping her, "after I'm done with you, you will have absolutely nothing whatsoever to say about the boy's fate. In fact, he'll just be meeting you on the other side." With that his hands darted forward, grabbing the edge of the window and throwing it open in one fluid motion.

Serena found herself suddenly without anything supporting her back. Since she had been practically pushing herself into the window to keep away from the lawyer's sneering countenance, the sudden disappearance of it caused her to lose her balance, and the next thing she knew she was falling out of the attic window - her descent only slowed momentarily by her desperate but ultimately futile attempt to grab the sides of the window frame - and heading straight for the tiled bottom of the empty swimming pool in the back of the mansion. All she could do was scream.

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

The sense of danger that had sent Darien to the floor near the window in Ralph's room managed to increase in intensity, much to the young man's disbelief. Finally he could take no more. "That's it," he spit out from between clenched teeth. "I don't care if it's not Sailor Moon in danger, I need to transform or I'm going to go crazy!"

He called for his transformational rose by sliding his hand into the black dinner jacket he'd been wearing all night, and just before he called on its powers, he heard Serena scream. "Serena, no!" he cried, immediately putting all his concentration into becoming Tuxedo Mask as soon as possible to be able to protect the young woman who had managed to steal his heart.

The minor light show faded seconds later, and the newly-powered up super hero threw open the window to find out exactly what was going on. He thought he had heard the scream coming from above him...

Just then Serena fell by the window, screaming once more. "No!" he shouted, diving out of the window after her.

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

Serena had her eyes clenched tight, not wanting to see her ultimate demise rise to meet her. And then she was enveloped in a fierce embrace, a familiar embrace, an embrace she didn't normally feel unless she was battling youma...

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

Darien realized they were headed for the swimming pool and braced himself for the only option he saw open to them. Somehow managing to catch the edge of the pool, he used their momentum to jump forward and over the corner of the gaping hole beginning to fill with rain. The pair tumbled and rolled, eventually coming to a halt by crashing into the patio furniture near poolside.

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

Once she realized that she wasn't dead - she wasn't even hurt - Serena opened her eyes. For a moment she was worried as she saw only white, but when she moved her head slightly she noticed the black jacket and red lining of the cape that was partially draped over her. She glanced up without moving her head much and saw a silver medallion and the red ribbon it hung from. The blonde gulped. She'd been saved by Tuxedo Mask! But how? And more importantly, why?

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

Darien groaned a bit as he shifted after the shock of the sudden stop wore off. He had somehow maneuvered himself to take the brunt of the blow from the iron furniture, but he couldn't be sure if the girl he still held was alright. She was so quiet... "Serena? Serena, are you okay?" he whispered, afraid of the answer.

_He... he knows my name_? Serena thought in complete shock. _I wonder if he knows I'm Sailor Moon_? She looked up at the fear in his tone, despite the surprise that sent her senses reeling. Her sapphire blue eyes widened at what she saw. Unbeknownst to the young man, Tuxedo Mask's hat and mask had flown off sometime during the couple's descent and tumble, leaving the petite blonde staring in utter amazement at the worried features of one Darien Shields. "Darien?" she barely breathed.

The young man stiffened. "How...?" He couldn't finish the question.

Serena gave him a small smile and reached out with her left hand and stroked his cheek, being sure to brush the bridge of his nose and his temple. "You lost your mask," she explained gently.

Darien released the breath he didn't realize he was holding and grinned ruefully. "Well, I guess my secret's out. You do realize you can't tell anyone, right?"

The girl giggled, much to her companion's surprise. "That shouldn't be too hard. I have an important secret of my own that goes right along with yours." Inside the girl was flying high. The guy she loved and her favorite hero were one and the same! Talk about two great guys in one even better package!

He creased his brow in confusion. "What in the world are you talking about, Serena?" His tone was completely bewildered.

She gave him an impish look. "Can you keep a secret?"

His eyes searched hers. "Of course I can."

She leaned forward and put her lips next to his ear. "I'm Sailor Moon."

He blinked, his eyes getting impossibly large as the girl settled back into his embrace. "You're... Sailor... Moon..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, Darien. Check the hairstyle. If you think about it, it's a dead giveaway. I'm surprised that no one else has caught on. Although Amy says there's some sort of magic that keeps people from being able to make the connection. That must be it, and I'm glad. I like my hairstyle too much to give it up."

A funny grin spread across the delicate masculine features as he searched her face. "You're Sailor Moon."

"Yes. And you're Tuxedo Mask, my hero. You've saved me one more time. I just don't get how you know when you need to be there for me." Serena nestled into Darien's chest.

The mention of his saving her brought back all the fear and memories of the near-fatal fall, and caused Darien to crush the girl to him and start crying slightly into her shoulder. "Oh, gods, Serena! I... I almost lost you! I... I can't... not now... I love you too much... gods, Serena, I love you!"

Serena started crying herself at his admission. "Darien! Do you really love me? Did I hear that right?"

"It's true, it's true," he sobbed. "I love you so much it hurts. I never want to let you go. And I almost lost you!"

"Oh, Darien, I love you too! I've loved you for a while now, but I was too afraid to say it! I just couldn't be sure our game was only a game to you! Oh, Darien!" Darien only held her tighter and continued to cry out his anxiety.

Serena recovered a bit faster than her partner and brought her head up slightly and gazed over Darien's shoulder into the rain. With the next flash of lightning she saw something that reminded her this wasn't over yet. Hewett Doyle stood glaring at them from the attic window he had pushed her out of, obviously just recovering from the shock of seeing her alive and well. "Oh, gods, Darien!" she gasped. "It's Doyle! Doyle is the murderer! And he's watching us right now from the third floor!"

The petite blonde's words snapped the ebony-haired young man out of his mood, and he quickly looked over his shoulder to where she was pointing. "It was Doyle? How do you know?"

"I found a secret passage in the back of Ralph's closet that led to a set of stairs. I followed them up and found myself in the attic, where I found a briefcase with some legal papers in it. It turns out that Mr. Cunningham added an addendum to his will a week before he died that said that if an heir were to die before his or her inheritance had been distributed, that share would be equally divided amongst the remaining surviving heirs. Doyle was trying to kill us all to get all of John Cunningham's estate!"

"So how did you fall out of the window?"

"He caught me reading that addendum and ended up pushing me. Then he was going to deal with you." Serena bit her lower lip as she remembered her fear for her love at that point.

Midnight blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "Oh, he's going to deal with me alright," Darien snarled.

Before the infuriated young man could begin his task, another flash of lightning revealed another figure behind that of the lawyer. Serena gasped. "Who's that?" Darien just shook his head in surprise.

The couple watched as Doyle seemed to notice the figure as well, and turned around to face it. They could almost see the shaking of the man's limbs. He got closer and closer to the open window, holding his hands up to ward off something that obviously kept approaching. Finally, it appeared that the slightly glowing figure darted forward suddenly, and the next thing either teenager knew, Hewett Doyle was plummeting to his death in the deep end of the empty swimming pool.

Darien quickly wrapped his cloak around the blonde girl in his arms, shielding her from the gruesome sight. But her eyes weren't on the splattered form of the murderous attorney. Her sapphire blues were fixed on the window of the attic, where successive flashes of lightning showed the pair the form of the figure that had caused the small older man's doom. They both recognized the old man from the day in the park when they had stumbled across him lying at the foot of a set of concrete stairs with a broken hip and cuts and bruises to match and had paused in their game to help him. John Cunningham gave them a knowing smile and a nod, and when the next flash occurred, he was gone.

"Did you see that?" Serena asked in a barely audible voice.

"Yeah," Darien responded. "And, as much as I normally wouldn't, I find myself completely believing that really happened."

"Me too."

The two of them stared at the empty window for a little while longer before Darien decided that Serena needed to get in out of the rain. So the two of them went inside, still in shock.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

An hour or so later, after the two of them had dried off (Darien had just powered down and found himself dry much to Serena's disgust), they headed back to Ralph's room where Serena had said the secret passage was to be found. She showed him the odd panel and pushed it, and they both watched as the door opened once again to reveal the staircase. Going down them this time, Serena led the way to the bottom, where the steps ended seemingly in a stone wall.

"There has to be another pressure plate somewhere," Darien said. "Considering we only have candlelight to work with..."

Before the young man could complete his statement, a string of lights that traveled all the way back up stairs flickered and came to life, providing more than enough light to see clearly without the aid of their temporary light sources. They blinked at each other. "I... guess the power's back on," Serena said with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"I can see that," Darien concurred. "Now let's find that switch."

It didn't take long before the discolored stone was found and pushed, causing a section of the wall to pull in and slide to the side, revealing a small room with twelve straight-back wooden chairs as the only furniture. Two were empty. The rest, on the other hand...

"Guys!" Serena cried when she saw her friends and Eli, Madam Roselle, Kingsly, and Ralph all tied up and gagged sitting in the chairs. She dashed inside and realized no one was struggling or trying to respond. "Guys? Are you okay?" She knelt before Raye and reached out a hand to brush the long black hair out of her face. She felt the girl's warm breath on her hand past the gag and breathed a sigh of relief. "She's breathing," she announced as she undid the cloth in her friend's mouth.

"So are the rest of them, but they've been drugged into unconsciousness," Darien said from the other side of the room where he was checking the adults. "We should probably get them out of here, especially Ralph. This cannot be helping his leg."

"How should we do that?" Serena asked, moving on to Amy, who sat to one side of the raven-haired priestess.

"Working together we should be able to take them upstairs one at a time. It'll take some time, but it's possible."

Serena thought about it for a moment. "What if we transformed? Then we could take two people at a time and be much more sure of their safety."

Darien looked at her and blinked. "I never thought of that. You're right, Serena. That would work. Let's do it. Besides, it should be interesting to find out what it feels like when you transform when you aren't in danger."

She looked at him quizzically as she paused with her hand on her transformation brooch. "What are you talking about?"

"I can feel when you transform and when you're in danger. That's how I find you. I seem to have an inner sense that can lead me to you when you need me. I tried it a couple of times when you weren't transformed, but I couldn't sense you then." He paused and thought. "Actually, tonight is the first time I've sensed you as Serena instead of Sailor Moon."

"Weird. But we should have this discussion later." She winked and smiled. "Here goes nothing! Moon Prism Power!"

The both of them quickly changed into their alternate forms and made relatively quick work of getting the others upstairs and into their respective beds. Once they were finished, they checked on all of them one last time. "I... I think I should help Ralph and Kingsly. Their breathing was a bit too shallow for my tastes, " Darien said a bit hesitantly as they stepped once again into the butler's room.

"What do you mean?" Serena said as they moved to either side of the bed, where Ralph lay unconscious.

"I... I have a natural healing ability, Serena. I can heal myself and others. It also lets me know what's wrong with someone. I don't know how I got it, but it's been there for as long as I can remember. I... I hope you don't think I'm weird or anything because of it." Darien looked away, an expression of tense worry on his features.

Serena giggled. "I already thought you were weird, Darien. But that's okay - so am I! About your healing ability," she said as he turned to look her in the eye, "I'd have to say that it's wonderful to have such a gift that you can help so many people with."

He smiled slightly at the soft expression on her face. "Thank you for being understanding. The kids at the orphanage all thought I was a freak because I wasn't like them, although they didn't know about my abilities. I don't think I could have handled it if you would have reacted the same way."

"Well, I didn't. So help Ralph!"

Darien shook his head and did as he was told. Soon he had taken care of the excess sedative and damage the captivity had done to the butler's leg, and they moved on to each of the others. Only Kingsly really needed the same kind of help, and the pair eventually found themselves back in their bedroom, detransformed and getting ready for bed. "You do realize that you're naked when you transform, right?" Darien said as Serena finished pulling on her white sweatpants.

She froze. "I'm what?"

"Naked. Completely bereft of clothing. Utterly beautiful and surrounded by sparkling ribbons of light." He smiled impishly at her.

"And you saw that." It was more a statement than a question.

He finished buttoning up his pajama top and crawled into the large four-poster bed. "And I appreciated it very much. Just remember, you chose to transform in front of me."

Serena blushed furiously as she joined him under the covers. "I guess you're right." Then something he had said earlier hit her. "Utterly beautiful?"

He took the girl into his arms. "Utterly beautiful. And you don't have to be transforming for me to think that either. You're that way all the time."

"Flatterer." She smiled as their faces grew closer and closer.

"I only speak the truth." And he kissed her.

"This has been a long night," Serena said through a yawn once they broke apart.

"I agree. Let's get some sleep."

They had both settled onto their pillows for a short time, Darien's arm draped over the girl as he lay on his side, when the young man began to see flashes of Serena falling past the window once again and he could feel the panic and fear that had coursed through his veins. He squeezed her tight and said nothing. Everything continued to build up inside him, finally causing him to lower his lips to her once again and kiss the groggy girl senseless for reassurance of her reality. "Serena... Serena... don't leave me... don't make me let you go... I almost lost you... I was a hair's breath away from losing you..."

Serena could say nothing between the onslaught of his words and kisses, so she reassured him in the only way she could - she returned the kisses with twice as much passion. And thus the night spiraled into a night of firsts for both of them, culminating in the act of ultimate intimacy, and finally ending in both of them passing out completely exhausted in each other's arms.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Serena woke up the next morning sore in places she'd never felt that way before, and yet utterly relaxed. She gazed at the sleeping man that still held her through his slumber, a light smile on his lips. He was truly beautiful, inside and out, and looking at him in this totally relaxed state made her realize that she always wanted to be with him. There were no regrets about what had happened between them the night before.

She saw that she wasn't the only one who was completely relaxed. Darien's face was utterly softened by his slumber, and she knew - since she had seen him asleep in the arcade once after he had pulled an all-nighter studying for an important exam - that even sleep didn't cause that kind of change in his features. A gentle reassurance of how much it all meant to him settled itself in her soul, and she reached out and lovingly brushed the ebony bangs out of his face. His smile grew larger, and she snuggled back into his embrace.

Fifteen minutes later, she was brought out of her dozing state by light kisses to her eyelids and nose. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Darien said softly as her sapphire blues fluttered open. "Are you alright?"

She smiled gently. "I'm just fine, Darien. Everything's just fine."

He laid his cheek against the top of her head. "I... I hope I didn't push you into anything last night. I think the adrenaline from everything we had gone through finally got to me and..."

She put a finger to his lips to stop his rambling. "I know, Darien, and I understand. I have no regrets. Do you?" A touch of fear played along the edges of her voice.

"Oh, gods, no!" he declared fiercely, punctuating his words with a kiss to the finger on his lips. She giggled and drew it back. "I love you, Serena! It was wonderful sharing myself for the first time like that with you. I'd do it again in a heartbeat as long as you still wanted it."

"I do. Oh, I definitely do. So... this means we're together now, right? I mean, a couple?"

Darien laughed. "What a silly question! Of course we are! I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"Yes!" Serena cried, squeezing him as tightly as she could. "I've dreamt about this for months!"

"I think I have too, although I didn't realize it. It took this weekend and Mr. Cunningham's stipulation to make me really see how I completely felt about you. I guess that makes it all worth it, although I wish we could have gone without people dying. Doyle was one twisted individual."

"I agree," the petite blonde murmured. "Speaking of, we should really try to contact the police so they can come out with the last ferry or something."

"Serena, the phone line's been cut. There's no way to communicate with the mainland."

"That's not true," she declared, pulling away from him with an impish smile. "I'll get dressed and show you."

The pair changed into their outfits for the day and Serena pulled out her communicator. "I'll use this to contact Luna and Artemis and let them call the police. The storm's over so we shouldn't have the problems the girls did Friday night."

"Wait a minute, Luna and Artemis? Aren't those two cats?"

"Yeah, but they can talk. They're our advisors, actually. Now, when I call, you'll have to be quiet. Luna will hack up a hairball if she knows I'm doing this in front of you." Darien just nodded, overwhelmed by the whole thing. Talking cats...?

Once she was finished (and Darien had his proof that Serena had been telling the truth), the pair took sheets of paper from one of the girl's notebooks and wrote messages to the other guests telling them to meet them in the drawing room when they awoke. They'd figure out exactly what happened then.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Once everyone had gathered, even Ralph joining them thanks to the crutches Darien had found with the medicinal supplies and left for him, Darien explained that the police were coming out in a few hours and they needed to know what to tell them. "Everything will sound suspicious if we're all saying different things. If we all share what we know, we can figure out exactly what happened and why."

"All I know is that when I moved the picture frame in the study, part of the wall moved aside and Doyle was standing there waiting. He injected me with something and I passed out. The next thing I knew I was waking up in bed next to the other girls." The expression on Raye's face was a mix between anger, irritation, and confusion. Serena had promised to explain the things she couldn't in front of those not in the know later, and the priestess couldn't wait for _that_ little discussion.

"The wall seemed to fall out from behind me after the seance, and I felt a sharp pain in the side of my neck. Then I woke up in my room," Madam Roselle explained.

"That's about what happened to me on the stair landing," Eli added. "My candle got blown out when the tapestry moved so I couldn't see who did it."

"I had just taken off my robe when there was a quick footstep behind me and a pain in my neck. I woke up in my bed." Kingsly shrugged as he looked around at the others, his monocle in place.

"The back wall of the closet in Dr. Blake's room opened up and the bastard was there. He reached out and poked me with his needle and I passed out. Then I woke up in bed with the others." Lita looked like she wanted to hit something, preferably Doyle.

"I had lifted up the bottom edge of the tapestry and saw that there was a growing gap in the wall behind it. That's when the thing started fluttering and blowing out all the candles. Doyle must have used that as his cue to get me too. Then cut to morning and me waking up with the girls." Mina shrugged, her eyes never leaving Serena and Darien, who leaned up against the library table next to each other, for long. There was a knowing look on her face that made the couple a bit nervous.

"I saw him step out of my wardrobe," Ralph explained. "I didn't even get a chance to shout before he pounced at me, needle in hand. I struggled, but with me being injured, it didn't take him too much to catch me. The next thing I remember is waking up in my bed."

"I had just checked Serena's suggestion for a book - and it happened to work by the way - when the shelves began to move and all the noise started outside. I believe the change in pressure caused the gust of wind that blew out the candles, and Doyle sedated me quickly. When I woke up I was in bed with the other girls." Amy gave Serena a wink and smiled at the others.

Everyone looked at the remaining pair expectantly. "Well, we kept looking after Lita disappeared. Ralph's room was the last we checked, and I went into the closet to check it out. I found an odd panel, pushed it, and a door slid aside and there was a set of stairs behind it. I decided to follow them up and see if there _was_ a third floor like we suspected." Serena smiled ruefully and shrugged.

"Meanwhile, I was checking the wardrobe and had found an odd plank in the back. I pushed a knot and it slid aside revealing more dark space. When I pushed on the back wall, I found it was the door to the wardrobe in Doyle's room. That's when I decided to check that room out again." Darien looked at Serena.

"When I got to the attic, I saw a bunch of piles of boxes. The closest pile had a briefcase on it with no dust, so I knew it couldn't have been there for long. I opened it and found an addendum to Mr. Cunningham's will that said if someone died before the inheritance had been split up, that person's share would be divided up equally between the surviving heirs. It was dated a week before he died, and had been signed and notarized by Hewett Doyle himself."

"He never read anything like that to us when he read the will," Lita said.

"I know. I thought of that too. But that's when Doyle came up behind me and cornered me against the window. He threw it open and I fell out." Everyone gasped.

"To get you up to date on what I was doing all that time," Darien continued before people could start fawning over the petite blonde, "I found a pouch with three vials - two empty and one full - in his bag, along with a bag of disposable hypodermic needles. I put them back and decided to check Kingsly's room and see if the secret panel thing was something that was in all the wardrobes. I can't be sure if there's one in _every_ room, but there was one leading back to Doyle's room. That's when I decided to tell Serena about what I had found and went back to Ralph's room." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I heard her scream. I... I don't know how I did it, but I managed to catch her and break her fall. I just blanked when I saw her falling." His lids clenched even tighter, and Serena reached out and took his hand.

"After we made sure we were both okay," the girl continued knowing Darien couldn't, "we looked back up at the attic window and saw Doyle glaring down at us." She hesitated for a moment, looking from one guest to another, trying to gauge if they could accept the next part of their story. "Um, you may not believe this, but we saw this weird glow from behind him. He turned around and started backing away from it, eventually getting pushed out the window by the glowing figure. He... he landed in the deep end of the swimming pool." She swallowed and closed her eyes briefly.

"When we looked back at the window," she went on, opening her sapphire blues, "we saw John Cunningham standing there by the light of a few lightning flashes. There was a bit of time between those flashes, and with the next one he was gone."

The others in the drawing room shot each other looks as the couple waited for a negative reaction. Everyone stayed surprisingly silent, and Darien took up the tale. "We came in and dried off, then went back to the secret stairway Serena had found and followed it down. We found the secret room in the basement where you were all being held, and managed to get you back to your rooms to sleep off the effects of the sedative you'd been given. We went to bed as well, and left you the notes to meet us here in the morning. And that brings us up to now."

"Alright, so what does this all mean?" Raye asked with an expectant look on her face.

"Well, let's see," Serena responded thoughtfully. "To make a time line, why don't we start with three months ago? That's when Mr. Cunningham signed the final copy of his will. Then, two months ago he made all the arrangements for how this weekend was going to go, if what Ralph said about that being when the bedrooms were assigned to the guests is accurate." Darien smiled at her proudly, the girls looked at her impressed, and the adults nodded in agreement as the petite blonde tapped her chin during a pause. "Two weeks ago, unbeknownst to anyone else, he has Doyle draw up an addendum to the will, adding the stipulation about surviving heirs splitting up any unclaimed inheritance. One week ago, he dies. My guess is that Doyle used that week to go through Mr. Cunningham's affairs, setting them in order, and getting final totals as to the worth of the estate, and, when he saw the number, got everything ready for whoever would be here this weekend. Cut to Friday night, when we, the last of the expected guests, arrived. He's already hidden the addendum, and reads us the will signed three months ago. I doubt he had any particular order in mind for how he was going to kill us, but I think he was hoping we'd all be too scared to leave our rooms. With the secret doors between them, which I'm also thinking he found and explored sometime during the week before this weekend, it would have been easier to catch us all one on one there. But the plan catches a snag when Darien takes charge and keeps everyone calm and rational. So now he has to catch us as he can, using those secret passages to get around the house without anyone knowing.

"I think he got lucky when he happened across Dr. Blake getting a midnight snack. Then, he snuck out to get Ralph after he checked on him during the storm. But Ralph caught sight of the barrel and managed to duck in time. So he bided his time until yesterday morning. He got up early, snuck into the dining room, and dosed some part of Mr. Ward's place setting with the poison that killed the man. Still no one panicked, and now everyone was going to be extra careful about not being alone. So he used his last real chance to catch anyone alone while we were changing, and grabbed the two easiest people, Ralph and Mr. Kingsly, who had bedrooms on either side of him. The only thing I can't explain about that is the blood stains in the carpet. Neither of them were injured in a way that would leave that kind of blood behind." Her brows creased in thought and she pouted slightly. Darien chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"If we can pause for a minute, I think I might have a solution for that," Amy said, giving Serena a meaningful look.

After a moment or two, the blonde seemed to understand what the blue-haired girl was hinting at. "Oh! Sure! Um, Darien? Why don't you continue this while Amy and I check this out? We shouldn't be too long." It was Serena's turn to give a meaningful look.

The ebony-haired young man picked up on it immediately and smiled. "Of course. Now then, where did Serena leave off...?" His voice trailed off as the two girls left the room and headed upstairs. Once the doors closed behind them, he continued. "My guess is that the girls and I took longer than Doyle suggested when he said he had been waiting twenty minutes. He rightly surmised no one else had been paying attention to the time. It explains why he seemed so upset when I said it might not be a murder in Kingsly's room - that's what he wanted us to think. And when we decided to split up and search the grounds, he saw that as the perfect opportunity to take the suspicion off of himself by setting up his own disappearance. Then he just picked the rest of us off one by one as the night went along."

"Why didn't he just kill us?" Lita asked.

"There probably wasn't time," Mina answered. "He knew he needed to get rid of us all by today, when the ferry would arrive and be able to get people back to Tokyo, where it would be much more difficult to reach us. So he drugged us and hid us until everyone was out of the way and he could do as he pleased without any chance of anyone interrupting."

"And then Serena found out it was him," Raye said with a shake of her head and a chuckle. "It figures that Meatball Head would stumble across the truth."

"I knew John Cunningham knew who was killing people in his mansion," Roselle said a touch smugly. Everyone looked at her for a moment then ignored her.

"So did you guys do anything with Doyle's body?" Eli asked.

"No. We thought it would be better to let the police see at least one thing the way it happened. That, and he's not exactly very neat at the moment. Neither one of us wanted to deal with that, especially in a slick pool in the middle of a downpour."

"You aren't going to tell the police that a ghost pushed Doyle out of the window, are you?" Kingsly asked incredulously.

"Of course not. I was thinking more of something like he leaned over too far when checking to see if we'd survived and fell. We tried to warn him, but..." Darien shrugged.

"By George, I think we've got it!" Serena cried from the suddenly-open double doors to the room, Amy right behind her. Both girls were wearing huge smiles.

"What are you talking about, Meatball Head?" Raye asked, an eyebrow raised at her friend's entrance.

"Well, Amy and I did a little checking, and we figured out that the blood in Ralph and Mr. Kingsly's rooms wasn't theirs!"

"We double checked the bodies in the freezer and found that there were incisions made and blood drained from them. Mr. Doyle must have poured it onto the carpet to fool us into thinking Ralph and Mr. Kingsly had been murdered," Amy explained, her dark blue eyes sparkling.

"That's disgusting!" Lita cried while everyone else went a bit pale.

"Well, I'm certainly not arguing with you, Lita, but at least we know what happened," Serena said with a shrug, her smile turning rueful.

"I think that about puts everything in place," Darien said as Serena rejoined him by the library desk. "Now we just have to wait for the police to arrive." The others nodded their agreement.

Once the police arrived with the afternoon ferry, they set to work by interrogating the twelve heirs of John Cunningham. At the adults' insistence Darien and the girls were taken care of first, one at a time in the library. They gathered afterward in the drawing room, then decided to get some fresh air with a walk around the front garden. As they walked by the still-open door of the library, they saw the detective that had questioned them sitting down at the round table with another figure. "Perhaps you've read some of my books. Dining Out In Greenland?" they distinctly heard Harris Kingsly's voice ring out. The group snickered.

"Um, no, I'm afraid not, sir..." the policeman replied hesitantly.

"Akron: The City Behind the Myth?"

"Uh, no..."

"A Teenage Guide to Tijuana?"

"Uh..."

"Wyoming: Fact or Fiction?"

The detective whimpering was the last sound the teenagers heard before making it outside and closing the double doors behind them.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Finally, just in time for the final ferry back to Tokyo for the night, the police said they were all free to go. Darien, the girls, Harris Kingsly, and Madam Roselle all headed back for the main island a bit eagerly. Kingsly's eagerness was short-lived, however. As soon as the ferry moved away from the dock, an overwhelming bout of seasickness overtook him, and the author excused himself to go below.

"He's never been able to handle the sea very well," Madam Roselle said with a smile and a chuckle after she and the others had been left alone on the front deck along the rail.

"And he was Mr. Cunningham's traveling companion?" Lita asked incredulously.

"They didn't take boats very often."

"Oh! I have a surprise for everyone!" Serena said suddenly, digging into her duffle bag.

"You're giving up fashionable clothes to become a nun?" Mina said mischievously, her sky blue eyes sparkling.

"You're finally going to give me back that vest and skirt combo I lent you two months ago?" Lita offered, her emerald greens gazing at her friend with an impish cast.

"You're finally going to reveal yourself as the alien you are and tell us where your comrades hid the real Serena?" Raye said, her violet eyes twinkling.

Serena paused. "You keep up with guesses like that, and the surprise will be there is no surprise." She smiled and pulled out a handful of envelopes. "But then again, I've never liked to keep secrets. And my curiosity is getting the best of me."

"What are those?" Darien asked from her right.

"Part of our inheritance. These are the letters that we were told would be waiting for us after the weekend was over. I found them in Doyle's briefcase." The petite blonde began passing out the marked envelopes to the appropriate people.

The sound of tearing paper filled the air as the seven of them opened their mysterious gifts. This was followed shortly thereafter by seven gasps as they read the contents. "How... how did he know?" Mina asked in a voice barely above a whisper as she pocketed the fifty dollars cash that had been enclosed with her letter.

There were tears standing in Roselle's eyes as she folded the piece of paper she held. "He's always wanted to be sure of people. He was a marvelous judge of character, but once he inherited his father's money he got burned a few times. So he stopped trusting himself. Before he let anyone get too close he would hire a private detective to check on them. I just never realized the man he had hired to investigate me would be so thorough..." The older lady's voice trailed off and she turned to gaze out at the water as they cut their way through the waves.

"What did he find out?" Amy asked gently, her letter already folded up and put into her bag.

"My real name. I was a maid at the house of one of his father's friends when I met him at a party my employer was holding. I decided then that I would make myself into someone who could associate with him. Otherwise a lowly maid was certainly not going to have a chance to socialize with a rich young man like John Cunningham. I thought I had covered my tracks completely, but I guess not." Roselle smiled wistfully. "But it didn't matter to him. And I guess that's all I could ever ask for."

"I think it's even better that he knew the truth all this time and still cared about you," Serena said softly.

Roselle nodded. "I know. But now I think I'll leave the group of you alone. Obviously I'm not the only person he knew secrets about, and I think I need some time to deal with this. I'll talk to you later." The spiritualist left in the direction of the rear of the ferry, never once looking back.

"She loved him so much..." Mina said as she gazed after the lonely-looking woman.

"So, um, did the rest of your letters say what I think they said, girls?" Lita asked a bit hesitantly, looking at Darien warily.

The ebony-haired young man raised an eyebrow at the look. "I think it just might be time to clear the air here, or you're going to drive yourselves crazy trying to talk around me. To show you my faith in you, I'll tell you that my letter says John Cunningham figured out that..." He looked around quickly to check for any other people who could casually overhear. Finding none, he continued. "John Cunningham figured out that I'm Tuxedo Mask. But he says he never told anyone."

Mina, Lita, Amy, and Raye all stared at him, their jaws dropping to the ground in their surprise. Serena giggled. "You guys look like you're trying to catch flies."

"You knew?" Mina asked. "You knew and you didn't tell us?"

"I just found out last night. And there wasn't any time to tell you before now really."

"How did you find out?" Amy asked, regaining her composure.

"How do you think I broke her fall?" Darien asked, wrapping his arms around Serena's waist and squeezing her tight.

"You know, I hadn't thought about how odd that was," Lita said.

"So what do _you_ know?" Raye asked suspiciously.

"I told him I'm Sailor Moon," Serena said quickly. "I figured it was only fair."

"And I figured out on my own in the drawing room earlier that you girls are the rest of the scouts," Darien added.

"Besides, how do you think we got all of you upstairs and into your beds? It would have taken us all night in our regular forms. So, do your letters say that he knew we're the Sailor Scouts?"

The other girls blinked at the change in subject. "Mine does," Mina said, her eyes flitting back and forth between the couple.

"Mina!" Raye snapped.

"Oh, come off it, _Mars_," the pale blonde growled. "Obviously he knows. And just as obviously Serena trusts him. Oh, and did I happen to mention that they have a soul bond?"

"What?" the other five people asked incredulously.

"A soul bond. I'm the scout of love, remember? I can sense these things. And boy, is it glowing!"

Darien and Serena looked at each other, slight awe in their expressions. "That explains why I can sense you when you're in danger and when you transform," the young man whispered.

"I always knew Tuxedo Mask loved me," Serena said with a grin.

Darien smirked. "He most certainly does." He leaned down to kiss her.

"Okay, you two. Knock it off," Raye said, the edge gone from her voice. The couple broke apart with a smile.

"So where does that leave us regarding the matter of the Rainbow Crystals?" Amy asked matter-of-factly.

"Look, I've been trying to get them to free the princess I've been seeing in my dreams. That's been my only motivation," Darien said quickly.

"We've been looking for a princess so we can protect her," Lita said, tilting her head to the side in contemplation.

"It looks like we're trying to do the same thing: get the Rainbow Crystals so we can help this princess. We're all on the same side," Serena said, her voice soft.

The other girls looked at Darien. "I agree," he said. "We're on the same side."

There were a few minutes of silence as they all contemplated the situation and each other. "Well, now that that's settled, what else did _you_ get in your letter, Meatball Head?" Raye asked, bringing everyone back to the now.

"Oh! Well, I got a letter to take to an antique book dealer in Tokyo that I guess is holding a book for me. Something about the legends of the Moon Kingdom."

The group all looked at each other. "Do you think Mr. Cunningham knew about what we were looking for?" Amy asked.

"How could he? If he really based his guesses on comparing our pictures to those of the scouts from the paper, there wouldn't be any information there. Unless someone's been giving out interviews without telling the rest of us." Raye looked around like someone might have done just that.

"I don't think we're going to ever have an explanation for that, and right now I don't want to think about it anymore," Mina said, holding her head in her hand. "This whole situation is making my head hurt."

Lita quickly covered the priestess' mouth. "Don't, Raye. I know it's tempting, and she left herself wide open, but don't." The raven-haired girl sighed.

"I just hope Mr. Cunningham was telling the truth when he said no one but him knew our secret," Amy said as she leaned against the rail and stared out at the waves. Mina nodded as she joined her.

"He was," Serena said quietly as she and Darien turned around to do the same, soon followed by Raye and Lita on their other side. The group of them silently watched the world go by.

After another ten minutes, the other girls went to the back of the ferry to see if they could still see Cunningham Island, Lita pining a bit over the fact that Eli had decided to stay behind. Serena and Darien sat on one of the benches near the tip of the bow watching the sun disappear below the horizon and Tokyo grow larger and larger.

"You... dream about the princess?" the girl asked softly.

Darien held her closer and sighed. "Yes, I do. She asks me to bring her the crystals so she can be free again. I've always thought that by helping her I would be able to get my memories back, or at the very least understand what's going on."

"Do you think... she cares about you?"

He laid a gentle kiss on her temple. "Serena, no matter what she thinks about me, _you're_ the one I care about the most. _You_ are my princess. Never forget that."

"But..."

"There is no but. I love you, Serena. And to be perfectly honest..." Darien paused before completing his statement, gazing down at the girl in his arms with a sudden sense his suspicions were correct. But with that realization he also knew she couldn't accept the truth. "To be honest, there's no way she could ever compare to you," he finished finally, tilting her head up and capturing her lips with his own.

"I love you, Darien," Serena whispered after they broke apart. "Don't ever doubt it."

He nodded, and the two of them went back to gazing out at the dark water, the sun having been laid to rest for the day. And as the stars twinkled to life in the velvet expanse above them, they snuggled close, Serena promising herself that she would always protect him, and Darien promising that he would do everything in his power to make her see the princess she really was.


End file.
